This piece originally appeared at Green Tape.
Over the last few weeks, Congress has begun gearing up for its annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) fight. Markup is set for the early summer, and the bill will likely go to the floor for a vote in the fall.
The NDAA is not typically a great vehicle for permitting reform – it is, after all, a defense bill. But there’s ample room for narrowly-tailored reforms that target our military preparedness. We should seize this opportunity, and create a NEPA exemption for defense activities.
The Problem
Virtually every major environmental statute contains national security exemptions. As we’ve covered on Green Tape, laws such as the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act allow the President or the Secretary of Defense to exempt projects in the interest of national security, or contain broader exemptions for certain categories of military activity.
