The Department of Energy has pulled the entire set of energy project permitting rules and regulations covered by the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the United States can't build "big things" if it remains hampered by "red tape that has brought American energy innovation to a standstill."
In a procedural move, the department rescinded the entire slate of previous NEPA regulations and published a new set of rules designed to move things along. The Council on Environmental Quality brought together leaders from eight federal agencies and departments to draft the new rules that replace many that date to the 1980s.
The White House describes the change as a "monumental deregulatory effort." The Energy Department said in a release that many of the environmental project review rules on the books appeared intended to "stall American energy production and infrastructure development."
President Donald Trump issued an executive order within hours of being sworn in for his second term in the White House that pinpointed the overriding issue of "burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations [that] have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens."
A Supreme Court ruling in late May, often referenced as the "Seven County" case, added emphasis to the Trump administration's deregulatory effort by reducing the scope of environmental impact studies on energy and construction projects and curtailed the application of climate change analysis.
The overall result, Wright said, is to put America "back on the path to energy dominance, job creation, and commonsense action."
Some energy development companies lost billions over stalled natural gas drilling and pipeline projects in Appalachia, including parts of the states of New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. Trump's policies supporting energy production have some of them renewing their efforts.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.