The Interior Department, which is in charge of the nation’s public lands and waters, has completed a major scaling back of its environmental regulations. The department, which also oversees activities including drilling and mining on the nation’s lands and in its waters, has rescinded more than 80 percent of its previous environmental regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Interior said in a press release that its actions would be aimed at cutting down delays and costs for energy, minerals, livestock grazing, infrastructure, wildfire mitigation, water projects and conservation efforts. … Critics have argued that NEPA reviews are time-consuming and slow down the development of the nation’s energy and infrastructure. Supporters of robust reviews argue they are an important guardrail for health and the environment.

Other NEPA and water infrastructure news:

• E&E News by Politico: Interior claws back NEPA regs
• U.S. Department of the Interior: News release: Trump administration delivers historic NEPA reform, unleashing resources on America’s public lands
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: News release: Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works announces ‘Build Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ transformation initiative for the Army’s Civil Works program