This bill would speed up building “infill housing” by skipping federal environmental reviews for these projects. It says federal actions tied to an infill housing activity are not a “major Federal action” under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), so agencies would not have to do NEPA studies for these projects in urban areas. It also uses existing federal definitions for environmental terms like hazardous substance and release.

It also updates disaster planning. The government would have to refresh national hazard risk assessments every 3 years instead of every 5 years.

• Who is affected: Federal agencies and projects related to infill housing; agencies that manage national hazard risk assessments.
• What changes: No NEPA review for federal actions tied to infill housing; hazard risk assessments updated every 3 years.
• When: These changes would take effect if the bill becomes law.