As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s all-of-government effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal permitting processes, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized a rule to reform, simplify, and modernize the federal environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The new rule will build on more than $1 billion from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to expedite federal agency permitting, the President’s Permitting Action Plan, and other ambitious permitting reforms occurring across the Administration to help accelerate environmental reviews while ensuring strong environmental protections, robust community engagement, and better coordination with states, Tribes, and local governments.

The Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule will apply to projects beginning environmental review on or after July 1, 2024. It will not disrupt ongoing environmental review processes.