EPA makes it harder for states, tribes to block pipelines
by Teresa Tomassoni, Inside Climate News from Ars Technica - All content on (#72TK3)
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule aimed at speeding up and streamlining the permitting process for large energy and infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines and facilities tied to artificial intelligence.
The rule, which does not require action by Congress, includes a suite of procedural changes to section 401 of the Clean Water Act-a law enacted in the 1970s that is the primary federal statute governing water pollution in the United States.
For decades, section 401 has granted states and tribes the authority to approve, impose conditions on, or reject, federal permits for projects that they determine will pollute or damage local waterways.