The Department of the Interior has announced new restrictions to streamline the National Environmental Protection Act or NEPA process. According to an E&E News report, the Interior Department has directed that Environmental Impact Statements “shall not be more than 150 pages or 300 pages for unusually complex projects.” It also states that the target to complete studies are required to be within one year. The new limits could have a significant impact on potential project timeframes. In an extreme example, the article states that the final environmental study for a water project in California exceeded 16,000 pages. Interior Deputy David Bernhardt is quoted as stating that studies “should focus on issues that truly matter rather than amassing unnecessary detail.” Uintah County Commissioner Duane Shepherd commented that the changes will be good news for the area and “will help expedite oil and gas leases” as well as “construction of infrastructure including projects like roads and bridges.”
