Rebuild America Now Act 2021-04-20 Introduced in Senate Rebuild America Now Act

This bill generally expedites the environmental review and permitting process of certain infrastructure projects and projects undertaken or funded by the federal government that could have significant environmental consequences.

Specifically, the bill establishes deadlines for federal agencies to complete environmental assessments and environmental impact statements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The bill makes additional revisions to NEPA, including revisions to

  • categorically exclude from environmental review certain projects to repair infrastructure for communities that are imminently threatened from flooding or erosion,
  • limit the number of assessment documents for proposed federal actions,
  • allow agencies to reuse certain documents and to adopt environmental documents prepared by states or other entities as specified by the bill, and
  • limit the judicial review of NEPA cases.

The bill also establishes a permittee bill of rights, which creates a presumption of approval for permits under specified environmental and energy laws.

In addition, the bill establishes requirements to expedite certain permits for natural gas or oil pipelines as well as agreements relating to transportation projects.

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