The Department of the Interior is informing the public about its decision to adopt certain categorical exclusions (CXs) for environmental reviews from the Department of Energy and the National Telecommunications Information Administration. These CXs will be used by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to streamline actions like setting up fences, roads, or communication towers without needing full environmental assessments if no special circumstances exist. This decision is aimed at improving efficiency in managing public and Tribal lands, while ensuring actions don't harm the environment. The adoption became effective on January 16, 2025.
Simple Explanation
The Department of the Interior is using shortcuts (called categorical exclusions) from other places to make it faster and easier to build things like fences and roads on certain lands without needing long checks, as long as nothing special gets hurt in the process. They started this on January 16, 2025.