US EditionInterior Department pledges to reduce environmental reviews for large projects to ‘weeks’
- On April 23, 2025, the U.S. Interior Department announced an emergency permitting directive to cut large project environmental reviews to 28 days on federal lands.
- This action follows President Trump’s January national emergency declaration and an executive order aimed at accelerating energy and critical mineral development.
- The expedited process applies to oil, gas, coal, uranium, biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, and critical minerals and includes adherence to federal laws like NEPA, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized the administration's commitment to removing bureaucratic obstacles in order to accelerate the exploitation of U.S. Energy supplies and vital mineral deposits, which play a crucial role in supporting the nation's economy, defense capabilities, and international standing.
- Industry groups praised the goal to speed permitting while environmental organizations criticized it as unlawful, likely to reduce public involvement, and warned it risks legal challenges and environmental harm.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Interior secretary tilts energy policy toward fossil fuels, sidelining renewables
A push for fossil fuel dominance is reshaping U.S. energy policy under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, leaving wind, solar, and carbon capture outside fast-tracked development plans. Ian M. Stevenson and Carlos Anchondo report for E&E News. In short: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, once an advocate for carbon neutrality and renewables as North Dakota’s governor, is now backing policies that favor fossil fuel expansion under President Trump. A …
Montana Free Press
Interior Department pledges to reduce environmental reviews for large projects to ‘weeks’
The U.S. Department of the Interior, which manages more than 480 million acres of federal land across the country, has pledged to “implement emergency permitting procedures” to facilitate fossil fuel and critical mineral development.The department described its revised energy development directive as an effort to expedite permitting timelines so reviews that typically take several months or years can be reduced “to just weeks,” according to a pr…
Interior Department Implements Trump’s Executive Orders on Several Fronts
Secretary Doug Burgum has initiated action on two of President Trump’s executive orders — one regarding offshore oil leasing and another concerning the expedited permitting of projects on federal lands. Regarding the former, the Interior Department will draft a new five-year lease plan for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to eventually replace the one produced by the Biden administration, which limited lease sales to just three over a period of…
The Green Left Doesn’t Like It When Environmental Laws Are Turned on Them
When Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a halt to the Empire Wind Project, which proposed building a subsidy-driven, expensive offshore wind farm in federal waters off the coast of New York state, supporters of the project decried the move, alleging it was the first such action ever taken by a government. Governor Kathy Hochul, a proponent of the Norwegian-owned project, accused the federal government of “overreach” and vowed to “fight this…
Citing Trump Emergency Order, Army Corps Expedites Review for Line 5 Oil Pipeline in Great Lakes’ Wetlands
The Corps approved a fast-track permitting process for the review of a new 3.6-mile proposed oil and gas section of the pipeline sought by Enbridge Energy under the Straits of Mackinac. The Interior Department is also moving to expedite energy reviews, over environmentalists' strenuous objections. By Carrie Klein The Army Corps of Engineers, citing a recent national energy emergency order by President Trump, has expedited a permit review for a n…
New Era Helium and BLM launch Permian Basin infrastructure project
New Era Helium will commence its infrastructure buildout within the Pecos Slope Field as it has secured approval for approximately 120 miles of Rights-of-Way in collaboration with the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage
