Infrastructure Bill Targets Permitting, Drawing Activists’ Scorn

Several provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill heading for a Senate vote take aim at the nation’s environmental permitting regime.

One group of changes would permanently reauthorize part of the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, which speeds up permitting for a broad range of projects, including mines, energy generation, and physical infrastructure.

Another set of changes would eliminate the need for federal agencies to do environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act for activities like applying pesticides and doing timber cuts on parcels of land up to 3,000 acres.

The bill would also codify an executive order President ...