President Donald Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order directly attacks the chief reason for the nation’s inability to permit major projects expeditiously, including those seeking to develop domestically available energy and minerals: the National Environmental Policy Act.

Signed on Inauguration Day, in a section titled “Unleashing Energy Dominance through Efficient Permitting,” the executive order revokes an NEPA order signed by former President Jimmy Carter in 1977, which the nation’s second-highest federal court ruled late last year exceeded his statutory authority.

Recommended Stories

In 100th lawsuit versus Trump, California leads states to fight overhaul of environmental permitting requirements

NEPA: What it is and why it is central to the permitting reform debate

Streamlining environmental regulations doesn’t have to endanger the environment