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New interim steering for federal businesses when assessing the influence of greenhouse gasoline emissions goes past the authority of the Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act and stands to delay important electrical infrastructure tasks for small, rural communities.
That’s the message from NRECA and the American Public Energy Affiliation to the White Home Council on Environmental High quality concerning its Interim Steerage on Consideration of Greenhouse Gasoline Emissions and Local weather Change.
In formal comments filed April 10, NRECA and APPA stated the interim steering for NEPA critiques is overbroad and urged CEQ to withdraw and revise the doc.
Building and upkeep of infrastructure for electrical technology, transmission and distribution, and broadband typically contain acquiring permits, financing and right-of-way authorizations from federal businesses that should overview these tasks underneath NEPA.
“Permitting the steering to face would end in additional delays and better prices for NEPA critiques as federal businesses battle to observe CEQ’s instructions, that are unmanageable and inconsistent with the statute and Supreme Courtroom case legislation,” stated Viktoria Seale, NRECA regulatory affairs director. “NEPA is a procedural statute that doesn’t present authority to vary a undertaking’s objective or alter an company’s duties or obligations underneath its statutory authorities.”
The steering fails to supply enough path to regulatory businesses on after they can decide a undertaking won’t have a big influence on the atmosphere, Seale stated. It additionally favors renewable tasks, she stated, by presupposing they require much less evaluation than different work to enhance the effectivity and reliability of the electrical grid.
On the very least, Seale stated, NRECA and APPA advocate that the steering not be utilized to ongoing NEPA critiques which have already handed the scoping stage.
The associations highlighted the progressive power tasks taken on by electrical co-ops and public energy authorities that cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions. These embody including extra renewable power, exploring power storage, better effectivity and analysis in carbon seize applied sciences.
CEQ issued the interim steering in January and can overview public feedback to find out whether or not to revise or finalize the steering later this 12 months.
Cathy Money is a workers author for NRECA.
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