WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) introduced the Determination of NEPA Adequacy Streamlining Act. This bill would streamline the approval process to advance essential water, transportation, energy, infrastructure, and flood-control projects by allowing federal agencies to use previously conducted Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the approval of projects with similar environmental impacts.

"The Central Valley has numerous essential improvement projects stuck in limbo because of excessive red tape, and we should be doing everything we can to put shovels in the ground," said Congressman Valadao. "Streamlining the slow, overly bureaucratic approval process by allowing Secretaries to use previously conducted and scientifically sound environmental reviews under NEPA will help move these tied up projects across the finish line. We need to get rid of these repetitive roadblocks, and I'm proud to lead the charge to unlock projects that will strengthen our region's energy supply, improve our water infrastructure, and deliver the critical upgrades our communities have been waiting on for far too long."

Background:

The Central Valley relies on timely federal approvals to advance essential projects, but unfortunately, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process has become one of the biggest obstacles to getting those improvements built. In recent years, agencies have faced mounting workloads, staff shortages, and layers of duplicative environmental reviews, creating a growing backlog that can delay projects for years even when their impacts are well-understood. These delays drive up costs, stall economic growth, and leave communities waiting for the infrastructure they urgently need. The Determination of NEPA Adequacy Streamlining Act tackles this problem by allowing federal agencies to rely on previously completed environmental documents when projects or their impacts haven’t changed, cutting through unnecessary repetition while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Read the full bill here.

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