The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has updated the Administration’s principles and guidelines for federal investments in water resources to better address environmental and social considerations in addition to economic development. “This much-needed update of the 30-year-old Principles and Guidelines will help agencies better evaluate and expedite water projects that grow our economy and are essential for protecting our communities from floods, droughts, and storms,” said CEQ Chairwoman Nancy Sutley in a statement issued on release of the new standards.
The final principles lay out overarching concepts that water investment should follow – including sustainable economic development, public safety and environmental justice as well as environmental protections – while the draft guidelines cover agency procedures for planning, design and evaluation. Taken together, the updated standards are intended to speed project approvals, reduce costs and better address the long-term benefits of water infrastructure projects.
The original standards, established in 1983, applied only to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The updated principles were expanded to include work done by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Management and Budget and the Interior and Agriculture departments.
TO VIEW THE UPDATED PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES, VISIT:www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/PandG.