US President Donald ***** on January 9, 2020 announced sweeping changes to an environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), that would speed up the construction of highways, airports and pipelines. | Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images
President ***** signed an executive order on Thursday allowing major infrastructure projects and energy projects to move forward without rigorous environmental review. Agencies would be able to waive provisions put in place by cornerstone environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That would apply to projects like new mines, pipelines, and highways, reports The Washington Post.
The move is aimed at spurring recovery from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. An economic emergency, ***** claimed, gives the president authority to essentially suspend environmental laws. “Agencies should take all reasonable measures to speed infrastructure investments and to speed other…