White House plan would streamline approval process for infrastructure projects

WASHINGTON – The White House has drafted a proposal to scale back environmental requirements in an effort to make it easier to construct roads, bridges and other critical projects across the country as part of an infrastructure plan that President Donald Trump could release as soon as next week.

Administration officials – who have briefed GOP lawmakers, multiple trade associations and other groups about their plans – have emphasized they are willing to alter elements of the legislative package to win enough votes to pass it in the Senate. But they have made it clear they are seeking to make needed changes to how the federal government approves and oversees infrastructure projects.

“We have no intention of eroding environmental protections,” said Alex Hergott, associate director of infrastructure at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, when he addressed the Transportation Research Board’s annual conference earlier this month. “However, there is no de- nying that there is duplication and redundancy in the process that is worth taking a hard look at.”

“Smarter regulation doesn’t mean that we are abandoning our responsibility to the environment,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing internal deliberations.

Trump identified an infrastructure bill as a top priority for his first 100 days in office, but it was delayed while he focused on legislative initiatives over health care and tax cuts. Aides say the president will pitch his plan during next week’s State of the Union address and flesh out the details shortly afterward.

Trump has argued that voluminous environmental studies should be greatly simplified. The administration is now crafting proposals that will convert the president’s words into actions.

“Clearly they are trying to get these things built more quickly. That can be done while maintaining the necessary environmental protections, because a lot of what holds this up is needless, duplicative review,” said Nick Goldstein, vice president of regulatory and legal issues at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. “From now until at least 2020, there’s going to be somebody there considering regulatory reform.”

The White House plan identifies many aspects of the current permitting process that lead to delays, including the fact that multiple agencies often weigh in on the same permit and that the federal government lacks resources to assess projects in a timely manner. To address this, it would make major changes in the arcane procedures that lie at the heart of federal oversight.