紐時賞析／趕在大選前推法規 拜登政府加速批准潔淨能源申請

拜登政府發佈旨在加速潔淨能源許可的規定，同時要求聯邦政府機構在批准公路或油井等項目前，更着重考量對於氣候及低收入社區的有害影響。法新社

Biden Administration Moves to Speed Up Permits for Clean Energy

拜登政府加速批准潔淨能源申請

The Biden administration released rules designed to speed up permits for clean energy while requiring federal agencies to more heavily weigh damaging effects on the climate and on low-income communities before approving projects like highways and oil wells.

拜登政府發佈旨在加速潔淨能源許可的規定，同時要求聯邦政府機構在批准公路或油井等項目前，更着重考量對於氣候及低收入社區的有害影響。

As part of a deal to raise the country’s debt limit last year, Congress required changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, a 54-year-old bedrock law that requires the government to consider environmental effects and to seek public input before approving any project that necessitates federal permits.

作爲去年爲提高國家債務上限所做協議一部分，國會要求修改施行54年的基礎法律「國家環境政策法」，該法要求政府批准任何須取得聯邦許可的項目前，要考慮環境影響並尋求公衆參與。

That bipartisan debt ceiling legislation included reforms to the environmental law designed to streamline the approval process for major construction projects, such as oil pipelines, highways and power lines for wind- and solar-generated electricity. The rules released by the White House Council on Environmental Quality are intended to guide federal agencies in putting the reforms in place.

那項兩黨支持的債務上限法律，包括該環境法律的改革，意在讓石油管線、公路以及風力或太陽能發電用的電線等重大建案，批准流程更精簡流暢。白宮環境品質委員會發布的規定，目標就是引導聯邦政府機構將這些改革推動上路。

But they also lay out additional requirements created to prioritize projects with strong environmental benefits, while adding layers of review for projects that could harm the climate or their surrounding communities.

但它們也明列了額外規定，其創設目的是賦予優先地位給具可觀環境效益項目，同時對可能危害氣候或周邊社區的項目增設層層審覈。

“These reforms will deliver smarter decisions, quicker permitting, and projects that are built better and faster,” said Brenda Mallory, chair of the council. “As we accelerate our clean energy future, we are also protecting communities from pollution and environmental harms that can result from poor planning and decision-making while making sure we build projects in the right places.”

「這些改革會造就更聰明的決策、更迅速的許可，工程興建也會更妥善、更快速」，前述委員會主席馬洛瑞說，「時值我們加速邁向潔淨能源的未來，我們也在保護社區，免於規畫或決策失當可能導致的污染或環境傷害，並且確保我們把建案蓋在對的地方。」

The move comes as President Joe Biden rushes to push through a slew of major environmental rules before November’s presidential election, including policies to limit climate-warming pollution from cars, trucks, power plants and oil and gas wells; to protect the habitats of the sage grouse and other endangered species; to ban asbestos; and to remove so-called forever chemicals from tap water.

此舉正值拜登趕着在11月總統選舉前，推行一連串重大環境法規，其中政策包括要限制來自汽車、卡車、發電廠、油井與天然氣井的氣候暖化污染，保護艾草松雞和其他瀕危物種的棲息地，禁止石棉，並從自來水裡清除所謂的永久化學物質。

The rules could help to more quickly carry out Biden’s signature climate law, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which includes at least $370 billion in tax incentives to expand renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, as well as electric vehicles. The new rules released by the White House Council for Environmental Quality would also allow projects that have a demonstrated long-term environmental benefit to receive expedited environmental reviews or bypass them altogether.

這些規定可能幫助更快履行拜登的招牌氣候法律「2022年降低通膨法」，內含至少3,700億美元租稅獎勵以推展風電、光電等再生能源及電動車。白宮環境品質委員會的新規，也會讓經表明具長期環境效益的項目享有加速環境審覈，或直接繞過審覈。

文／Coral Davenport　譯／高詣軒