The Army Corps of Engineers is still evaluating energy projects that could receive expedited permits under President Donald Trump’s “energy emergency” declaration, despite having scrapped an initial list of eligible projects from its website.
On Wednesday, the agency’s website listed a new class of federal water permits tied to Trump’s executive order declaring an energy emergency. Hundreds of projects, including oil and natural gas pipelines, mines and electric transmission lines, were seemingly identified by the Army Corps as eligible for faster permits under the Clean Water Act.
That prompted intense backlash from environmental advocates, who warned that the permits could be issued in as little as 48 hours and without a full environmental review.
But sometime Wednesday evening or late afternoon, the Army Corps removed the energy emergency permit classification from its online system. As of Thursday, no permits were listed as eligible for expedited approval in response to Trump’s declaration.
