Beyond NEPA: Understanding the complexities of slow infrastructure buildout

The document challenges the narrative that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the main cause of infrastructure delays, citing research that points instead to lack of agency resources and poor coordination. It suggests that rather than dismantling NEPA, policymakers should focus on increasing agency funding, harmonizing state and federal processes, and improving community engagement.

• Research indicates that arguments blaming NEPA for permitting delays are not supported by empirical evidence, and that the law remains an effective tool for assessing environmental impacts before project commencement.
• Delays in the NEPA process are primarily driven by a lack of coordination, collaboration, and resources across agencies and levels of government, including insufficient funding and poor communication.
• Litigation related to NEPA is rare, affecting only 0.22% of decisions (approximately one in 500), although it can significantly impact implementation when it occurs, particularly for projects involving the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

APA

Pavia, N., Cavert, J., & Holm, F. (2024). Beyond NEPA: Understanding the complexities of slow infrastructure buildout. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2024/08/beyond-nepa-understanding-complexities-slow-infrastructure-buildout/

Chicago

Pavia, Nicole, Johan Cavert, and Federico Holm. Beyond NEPA: Understanding the complexities of slow infrastructure buildout. Clean Air Task Force, 2024. https://www.catf.us/2024/08/beyond-nepa-understanding-complexities-slow-infrastructure-buildout/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pavia |first1=Nicole |last2=Cavert |first2=Johan |last3=Holm |first3=Federico |title=Beyond NEPA: Understanding the complexities of slow infrastructure buildout |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=1 August 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/2024/08/beyond-nepa-understanding-complexities-slow-infrastructure-buildout/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pavia2024beyond, author = {Pavia, Nicole and Cavert, Johan and Holm, Federico}, title = {{Beyond NEPA: Understanding the complexities of slow infrastructure buildout}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://www.catf.us/2024/08/beyond-nepa-understanding-complexities-slow-infrastructure-buildout/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }