U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced last week that USDA has finalized a rule to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. According to the Department, the changes outlined in the rule “consolidated seven agency-specific NEPA regulations into a single, department wide framework, reducing the overall volume of regulations by 66 percent.”

Secretary Rollins said, “Since last July, agencies at USDA have shown they can reduce environmental review timelines by up to 80%. These faster, more efficient reviews are saving the Department millions in taxpayer dollars. Those savings benefit the American people, and quicker reviews mean the loans, critical infrastructure, and forest health projects our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities depend on can move forward sooner. USDA is proud to help advance President Trump’s vision of a government that serves its citizens, beginning with cutting unnecessary bureaucratic overreach.” 

USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden said, “NEPA is a procedural statute meant to ensure the government considers reasonable environmental analysis before making a final decision. It has morphed into the greatest roadblock to everything from protecting our National Forests from devastating wildfires to constructing much needed roadways. With this reform, we return NEPA to its intended role of requiring analysis and unleash the ability of USDA to once again get the American people’s work done.”

The final rule change was designed to allow federal agencies to consider impacts to the environment while providing flexibility for faster delivery of USDA services and funding, as well as efficient permitting for farmers, ranchers, rural communities and loggers.

Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.