The Trump administration on Monday proposed renewing a streamlined permitting program for pipelines, highways and other common infrastructure that have the potential to degrade or destroy wetlands.
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to reissue its Nationwide Permit Program with “some modifications” and announced a new category of streamlined permits for environmental projects that help fish pass through dams and other human-made obstacles, the agency said in a draft rule.
Nationwide permits are blanket authorizations under the Clean Water Act for dozens of types of projects — from utility lines to mines to boat ramps — that allow for faster approvals by the Army Corps. While permits issued through the program currently last for a period of five years, Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced legislation last week that would extend them to 10 years.
The Army Corps would renew 56 out of 57 nationwide permit categories while allowing nationwide permits for finfish aquaculture farms to expire in March of next year. That category of permits is tied up in litigation, the agency said. All current nationwide permits are set to expire on March 14, 2026.
