WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump aims to ease some key environmental regulations in the hopes of spurring jobs.
During a White House event, Trump described many federal regulations as job killers that waste considerable amounts of time and money. Trump said, “Today, we’re taking another historic step in our campaign to slash job-killing regulations and improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.”
He insisted that there will still be strong environmental and safety standards in place, while speeding up approval for pipelines, drilling and highway projects. He said “In the past, many America’s — of America’s most critical infrastructure projects have been tied up and bogged down by an outrageously slow and burdensome federal approval process.”
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt called the proposal among the most significant changes under this administration. “Let me tell you, this is a really, really big proposal,” Bernhardt said. “The proposal affects virtually every significant decision by the federal government that affects the environment.”
The proposed changes include narrowing the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act, which currently requires an assessment by federal agencies before a project can begin.