Interior using new expedited reviews for geothermal projects
The Interior Department announced Friday it will use a new streamlined environmental review process to evaluate three proposed geothermal power projects in Nevada.
The environmental assessments for the three smaller-scale projects, all proposed by Ormat Nevada, will be completed within 14 days, Interior announced Friday.
The three projects are the first geothermal energy projects to undergo the streamlined process for shortening National Environmental Policy Act reviews of simpler projects to 14 days and up to 28 days for more complex proposals. Interior outlined the changes last month, leading to an outcry from critics.
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Friday's announcement is the latest effort by the Trump administration to target the NEPA process, which opponents have long argued is onerous and has slowed development of important projects. Republicans have focused on complicated environmental impact statements for bigger projects, which typically take about two years to complete.
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