White House Proposes Modern Review and Approval Process
WASHINGTON — White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta outlined a comprehensive set of legislative proposals to improve siting and permitting procedures for clean energy facilities and transmission system upgrades.
Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer with the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) made the following statement:
“This is a roadmap for the modern review and approval process we need to support the clean energy build-out at the pace and scale required to confront the climate crisis. It starts with improving engagement, up front and in a meaningful way, with the communities that host clean energy projects and must share in the benefits - economic and environmental - they bring.
“It’s about siting projects where they belong; making sure federal agencies have the resources to perform effective review in a timely way; strengthening woefully outdated mining laws; and ensuring that federal authority aligns with the national interest in making long-distance interstate transmission improvements essential to a modern, reliable power grid. However, we must be cautious about deploying hydrogen and carbon dioxide infrastructure that will prolong the life of dirty fossil fuels. Without proper scrutiny and robust community engagement, these technologies could lead to additional carbon pollution and negative impacts to communities already burdened by harmful impacts.
“We remain opposed to Senator Manchin’s legislation, but Congress should embrace this administration’s agenda for positive change and reject proposals that would strip away essential safeguards, dim the voices of frontline communities and lock in decades more reliance on fossil fuels. We won’t build the clean energy economy of the future by doubling down on the dirty fuels of the past. We won’t confront the climate crisis by deepening our dependence on fuels that endanger the planet.”
Christy's recent Congressional testimony on the subject is available here.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.