Dear RM Agents and Readers,

When in Colorado I was a large property owner, sort of, 53 acres or 57 depending upon the info you looked at. What I discovered was a great deal of difficulty and money needed to protect.

You place a conservation easement which costs quite a bit on the property; it then wakes up others to the value of the property you are attempting to keep pristine.

Yet, watching the sustainable development folks in action turned my stomach. I care very much about the land use and consider jobs for people to be very important.

Many of us sat here at Rumormill hearing the stories about the EPA releasing the the tailings from the mines in Colorado and purpose, no accident there in the least. Where the EPA went damage followed. The mines do a much better taking care of the environment than does what used to be the EPA when this took place.

Just my two cents worth-

Many Blessings,
CrystalRiver

National Environmental Policy Act Reform
In 1970, President Nixon signed into law the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Congress originally passed NEPA to ensure federal agencies were accounting for the environmental consequences of proposed federal actions or projects.

Over the last 50 years, this process has substantially deviated from its original purpose. NEPA is now a complex, bureaucratic labyrinth that dramatically increases the cost and timeline for many urgently needed projects. In this situation, there are no winners. There are, however, many who lose out including American consumers, businesses, and employees. The current situation also creates ironic hurdles for land managers who are interested in conservation projects.

Therefore, I am excited to announce an effort I am calling the “Undoing NEPA’s Substantial Harm by Advancing Concepts that Kickstart the Liberation of the Economy” or UNSHACKLE Act. It contains a number of provisions to reform the NEPA regulatory process so that federal agencies, state and local governments, and other project sponsors are empowered to carry out NEPA’s original purpose.

The UNSHACKLE Act can be divided into four main reform areas:

1. Timing – It would impose one and two-year deadlines on the length of time agencies can take to assess any environmental impact and approve or deny projects. Currently, the average wait time is more than four years, and the assessment for one highway expansion project in Colorado took 13 years!

2. Process – It would mandate only one report of estimated impact and prohibiting the federal government from offering infeasible alternatives. For instance, if a state government is planning to build roadways, the federal agency shouldn’t come back and tell them to build a transit system.

3. Litigation – One of the biggest drivers of the length and expense of the NEPA process is litigation. The UNSHACKLE Act would clarify certain legal requirements and establishes a 150-day statute of limitations on NEPA-related claims.

4. Delegation – It would allow states that are willing and able to handle the NEPA review to do so on behalf of the federal government. Six states, including Utah, already have such an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. The UNSHACKLE Act expands this delegation authority to all federal agencies.

In order to bring our economy back from the devastation of COVID-19, we have to be sure businesses are empowered to rehire their workers and roar back to life. As the country looks to reopen, one of the best ways to aid the post-COVID-19 recovery is to eliminate unnecessary regulatory red tape and reduce government interference. The UNSHACKLE Act’s regulatory reforms could help reduce business operating expenses and create more certainty for investors and projects in Utah and throughout the country.

“The NEPA environmental review process has unfortunately become a weapon used by special interest groups to throttle much needed infrastructure investments across the country. This bill will cut through unnecessary delays and deliver better projects on time to millions of Americans that need them.”

From this link:

https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/9/sen-lee-introduces-nepa-accountability-and-enforcement-act