NRECA, along with over 30 other trade associations, sent a letter to the White House Council on Environmental Quality recommending a timely and transparent federal permitting process to facilitate infrastructure investment and economic growth.

NRECA is urging CEQ to implement the 2020 National Environmental Policy Act permitting rule and provide additional clarity about upcoming changes to incorporate the Biden administration's goals on the environment, climate change, and environmental justice.

CEQ issued an interim final rule extending the deadline by two years for which federal agencies are required to update their NEPA permitting procedures. This will create uncertainty and further delay agency decision-making on co-op projects necessary to modernize and diversify the grid and expand broadband into rural and underserved areas.a