The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has updated Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change to assist Federal agencies in better assessing and disclosing climate impacts as they conduct environmental reviews and to increase certainty and efficiency in the permitting process for clean energy and other infrastructure projects.
This action advances President Biden’s goal to reinstate science in federal decision-making, combat climate change, and create resilient infrastructure and is mandated by Executive Order 13990, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.
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The enhanced guidance will increase sustainability while maintaining focused and effective environmental studies as Federal agencies evaluate and construct new infrastructure and clean energy projects, including those funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
The guidance, which CEQ is releasing as interim guidance and is open for public comment, offers greater predictability and clarity for conducting reviews, as well as emphasizing current resources and best practices.
The updated guidance also makes projects more climate-smart and resilient while also assisting in President Biden’s effort to achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2050. It also increases transparency in the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, including the appropriate use of the social cost of greenhouse gases to disclose climate impacts.
According to CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory, disclosing and reducing emissions will ensure the building of sustainable, resilient infrastructure for the 21st century and beyond, adding that the updated guidelines will provide greater certainty and predictability for green infrastructure projects, help grow clean energy economy, and help fulfil President Biden’s climate and infrastructure goals.
Story was adapted from The White House.
