The rule will also allow agencies to develop categories of activities that do not require an environmental assessment at all. And in one of the most bitterly contested provisions, the rule would free federal agencies from having to consider the impacts of infrastructure projects on climate change. “Saying ‘We’re going to pull back on regulation’ does not mean that firms are going to start hiring more people. All that’s going to happen is it’s going to lead to more pollution, period,” Dr. Archibong said. Conservationists like to call the National Environmental Protection Act the “Magna Carta” of environmental law.

Source: New York Times July 15, 2020 09:01 UTC