The Big Story 

A bill that would weaken federal environmental reviews of semiconductor facilities has passed Congress. Green activists and some Democrats hope President Biden vetoes it.  

© AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The bill would exempt semiconductor manufacturing facilities that receive federal funding from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.  Proponents say this will streamline the approval process; opponents warn that it could lead to less oversight and, therefore, more pollution. 

“It’s going to be completely secret going forward whether facilities are using PFAS and other harmful chemicals,” if Biden signs the bill, said Harry Manin, the Sierra Club’s deputy legislative director for industrial policy.

He added that transparency is "the last protection that communities and workers had" because it allowed them to negotiate for mitigation measures. 

Despite this opposition, and opposition from 125 members of Congress, a White House official told Politico that Biden plans to sign the bill. 

The spokesperson said that the legislation "will allow us to continue our efforts to ensure Americans across the country can benefit from the promise of the Investing in America agenda while protecting communities and the environment.”

White House spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment from The Hill. 

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

Harris backs minerals stockpile, permitting reform, climate-friendly tax credits

Biden administration inks deals to bring major relief to Colorado River’s biggest reservoir

White supremacist sentenced to 18 years for plot to ‘lay waste’ to Baltimore power grid

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Lawmakers scramble to reach last-minute deal to save farm bill

House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-Pa.) is meeting with congressional leaders on agricultural policy Thursday to try to secure a last-minute deal on passing the farm bill.

What We're Reading 

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US (The Guardian) 

   

• Conspiracy Theorists and Vaccine Skeptics Have a New Target: Geoengineering (The New York Times)
  
  

• The ‘perfect’ conditions that could make Hurricane Helene ‘unsurvivable’ (Grist)
  
  

• Why thieves aren't targeting EVs (Axios)

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Appeals panel signals skepticism over NY civil fraud case against Trump

A New York appeals panel on Thursday appeared wary of the state’s civil fraud case against former President Trump that ended in a $464 million judgment against him and his business. Read more

North Carolina removes 747,000 from voter rolls, citing ineligibility

North Carolina’s State Board of Elections has removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters within the last 20 months, officials announced Thursday in a press release. Read more