Last week President Donald Trump issued executive orders to speed the permitting process for oil and gas pipelines and other energy projects.
The President ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review Section 401 of the Clean Water Act and update guidance to state governments on its implementation. Guidance is expected to limit states from using the Act to stall construction of interstate pipelines.
Trump also ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to update regulations involving LNG projects. Trump’s order should also improve the permit process for cross-border energy transmission project development.
President Trump stated: “Too often badly needed energy infrastructure is being held back by special interest groups, entrenched bureaucracies, and radical activists. I am signing two groundbreaking executive orders to continue the revival of American industry and jobs. My action today will cut through destructive permitting delays and denials so we can get to work producing the energy we need to compete around the world.”
According to American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Pres. Chet Thompson: “By clarifying the roles of federal and state agencies in permitting decisions, today’s order will help promote investment in critical energy infrastructure development and associated good-paying jobs, while maintaining important environmental protections.”
In order to effectively implement the order, the Department of Energy intends to ask US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to submit a report to the president on current limitations on the export of coal, oil, natural gas, and other energy resources from the U.S. West Coast.
The President’s order is also designed to promote economic growth of the Appalachian region by facilitating the transport of sufficient quantities of gas and other energy resources to the New England states.