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The bill speeds and lowers the cost of deploying communications infrastructure on brownfields by exempting projects from federal environmental and historic reviews, but it does so at the cost of reduced environmental assessment, weakened cultural-heritage protections, and diminished public oversight and recourse.
Small businesses, rural and urban communities, and broadband/wireless providers will get faster and cheaper deployment of communications infrastructure because projects on brownfields can proceed without NEPA/NHPA review, cutting approval delays and permitting costs.
Local governments and project developers will face lower administrative burden and reduced duplicative federal review when siting or modifying communications facilities on brownfields, simplifying project planning and execution.
Local governments and communities will see increased reuse of contaminated or previously developed brownfield sites for communications infrastructure, reducing pressure to develop undeveloped land.
People living near brownfields (urban and rural communities) will face greater risk that cleanup, air, or water quality impacts from communications projects go unassessed because NEPA/NHPA reviews are removed.
Indigenous/tribal communities and others concerned with cultural resources will have reduced historic preservation review, increasing the chance that archaeological or cultural sites near brownfields could be damaged or overlooked.
Local governments and community members will have less federal oversight, fewer opportunities for public notice and comment, and reduced recourse to challenge siting decisions, decreasing transparency and local control over communications facility placement.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts FCC‑jurisdiction communications projects located entirely on CERCLA brownfield sites from NEPA and NHPA federal review.
Introduced June 26, 2025 by Tim Walberg · Last progress June 26, 2025
Bars NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act from applying to communications facilities that are deployed or modified entirely within CERCLA-designated brownfield sites when those projects require or fall under FCC jurisdiction. It defines covered projects, the FCC as the Commission, communications facilities by reference to existing law, and what counts as federal authorization, and removes NEPA/NHPA review for those specific federal approvals.