“In this Administration, NEPA’s regulatory reign of terror has ended,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Katherine Scarlett.
For years, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), originally a well-meaning legislation, has been used to hinder federal permits and impede development across the United States.
On his first day in office, President Trump addressed these challenges with an Executive Order titled Unleashing American Energy to overhaul the nation’s permitting system.
A year ago, key federal agencies and departments, including the USDA, Commerce, DOI, DOE, FERC, DOT, and DOW (including USACE), initiated reforms to their NEPA procedures. These bodies are responsible for the bulk of NEPA-related litigation and play a crucial role in shaping the nation’s energy and infrastructure policies.
As a result of these reforms, the USDA and DOI have completed their policy updates, projected to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
This significant deregulation and coordination led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality has simplified the federal environmental review and permitting process, benefiting all Americans.
Presently, over 60 agencies and departments have either reformed or are in the process of updating their procedures, following CEQ’s comprehensive review of vast regulatory materials. Under President Trump’s leadership, America is refocusing on the fundamental legal requirements, advancing vital projects without needless delays.
ACCELERATING PROJECT APPROVALS, INCREASING GROUNDBREAKINGS, AND CREATING JOBS
- The Administration has adopted a “Categorical Exclusions-First Approach,” enabling agencies to use categorical exclusions more frequently, thus speeding up reviews and targeting analysis where necessary.
- Since the Administration’s inception, 195 categorical exclusions have been implemented, allowing federal agencies to expedite the NEPA process.
- The DOI has introduced emergency NEPA procedures capable of permitting domestic energy resources and critical mineral projects within 28 days.
ENCOURAGING INVESTMENT AND STRENGTHENING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE
- President Trump is enhancing America’s AI leadership through Executive Order 14318, promoting the acceleration of federal permitting for data center infrastructure.
- Executive Order 14394, issued by President Trump, aims to make home construction more affordable by directing CEQ to provide guidance on removing NEPA-related barriers to homebuilding.
- Through Executive Order 14335, President Trump is advancing commercial space innovation by seeking to streamline or expedite environmental reviews for launch and reentry licenses and permits.
UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY
- The BLM under DOI has approved over 6,100 Applications for Permits to Drill (APDs), setting a record high in the past 15 years.
- The Trump Administration has authorized 63.7 percent more Federal and Indian drilling permits compared to the previous administration within the same timeframe of their presidency.
- Seventy-six coal-related permits have been approved to revitalize America’s clean coal industry.
- The BLM has opened an additional 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal leasing, tripling the benchmarks set by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, fulfilling President Trump’s goal of restoring American Energy Dominance.
- In the first 18 months, this Administration has made available 748,000 acres for geothermal development, surpassing the total offered throughout the previous administration.
- In response to President Trump’s Executive Orders 14301 and 14299, the DOE has introduced a categorical exclusion for advanced nuclear reactors, which has been applied five times, conserving time and resources.
CONSERVING OUR LANDS
- The Forest Service efficiently harvested 475 acres of fire-damaged trees, mitigated risks to recreation infrastructure, and replanted seedlings post-harvest using a categorical exclusion, which reduced procedural complexity and expedited the process to just 16 days.
- During the Trump Administration, seven DOI bureaus applied a National Park Service categorical exclusion for invasive species management nearly 200 times in a single year. These bureaus employed various treatment methods, such as herbicides, manual removal, trapping, shooting, and biological controls tailored to the site and invasive species, facilitating more effective management of invasive plants and animals affecting national resources.
DEFENDING OUR NATION
- The DOW has streamlined environmental reviews for essential infrastructure and supply chain projects, accelerating nearly $4.5 billion in investments (FY26) to support critical mineral and Defense Industrial Base priorities. The Department achieved efficiency by applying categorical exclusions and determining no “Major Federal Action” was necessary when suitable.
