Bracewell attorney Jeff Holmstead expects President-electric Donald Trump to re-examine more than just the Obama administration plan to have states reduce power sector carbon dioxide (CO2).
In addition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Power Plan, Holmstead said Nov. 16 at TransmissionHub‘s TransForum East that he expects the administration to be part of a long-term effort to reduce seemingly endless project delays – whether they involved pipelines or electric power lines and generation.
Look for a longer-term effort to improve project siting process to ensure that it won’t drag on for years and years. The Obama administration had looked at this but was hamstrung by its ties to the environmental community, Holmstead said.
Organized environmental groups sometimes end up opposing, or at least filing comments on, major energy infrastructure projects.
Similar comments were made the previous day by Bracewell lobbyist Frank Maisano. Maisano envisions a “fast track” design for energy infrastructure
Likewise, look for the Trump administration to revisit the “waters of the United States” rule that could greatly increase the role of EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers role water issues that could affect everything from coal mining to the siting of electric transmission lines.
The Obama administration had put out the rule in an effort to clarify the scope of the term “waters of the United States” or WOTUS as defined by the Clean Water Act.
