Sec. 615. Establishment of interagency environmental data system
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Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 , the Council on Environmental Quality (referred to in this section as the Council ), in coordination with, and support from, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the Administrator ) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (referred to in this section as the Director ) and in consultation with the Federal Geographic Data Committee and heads of Federal agencies with relevant geographic information system data, shall develop linked interagency environmental data collection systems that include georeferenced qualitative and quantitative data for use by all Federal agencies in preparing any environmental document and tracking environmental outcomes of major Federal actions, including— environmental documents; data on mitigation commitments required in environmental documents; and monitoring and compliance data and information required under Federal environmental laws.
In developing linked interagency environmental data collection systems under paragraph (1), the Council, in coordination with the Administrator and the Director, shall— facilitate— the reduction of administrative costs borne by project developers, including in the establishment of the permitting portal under section 110(b) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; the reduction of the duplication of efforts by Federal and State agencies; the standardization of the collection of information on environmental impacts and outcomes; and the tracking of long-term environmental outcomes, including the efficacy of mitigation commitments; make the linked interagency environmental data collection systems developed under paragraph
(1)publicly available, to the extent consistent with section 552 of title 5, United States Code, and any exemption from disclosure of sensitive site-specific information under applicable law; include tools that— enhance the abilities of Federal agencies to conduct the public outreach and engagement required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ); enable Federal agencies to publish information regarding public engagement opportunities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ); and facilitate opportunities for the public to provide Federal agencies with relevant environmental or scientific information and data, including locally-specific environmental data, that could complement monitoring efforts and enhance evidence-based decision making; facilitate coordination between Federal and State agencies, including by providing for up-to-date georeferenced information sharing about current Federal agency actions; enable States to integrate relevant State-level environmental data; standardize and enhance the use of nonconfidential geographic information and geospatial data in the preparation of environmental documents and in the authorization and permitting of major Federal actions; use an interactive, digital, and cloud-based platform; ensure that data is searchable, accessible, interoperable, reusable, and includes— digital geographic information system data or other location data for the activities for which an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment was prepared; each environmental impact statement and environmental assessment, including appendices, in a machine-readable format; and to the extent practicable, geographic information system data or other location data for documents, permits, monitoring reports, or reports prepared under State environmental review laws; allow users to find specific documents and specific types of information, such as— analyses of types of environmental impact; analyses of types of major Federal actions; geographic location of major Federal actions; ecological, cultural, and historical features and resources; and other categories, as determined by the Council, the Administrator, and the Director; and enable sponsors of major Federal actions and the public— to identify project locations that would avoid or minimize impacts; and to conduct preliminary scoping of impacts. In developing linked interagency environmental data collection systems under paragraph (1), the Council in coordination with the Administrator and the Director, shall incorporate relevant information from existing geographic information systems and other relevant systems and databases. Each Federal agency that is required to prepare an environmental document or otherwise maintains relevant environmental data shall— participate in the development of linked interagency environmental data collection systems under paragraph (1); make relevant environmental data available to be integrated into those linked interagency environmental data collection systems; and make environmental documents available to be integrated into those linked interagency environmental data collection systems. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Council on Environmental Quality to develop linked interagency environmental data collection systems under subsection (a)(1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028. Section 110 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4336d ) is amended— by redesignating subsection
(b)as subsection (c); by adding after subsection
(b)the following: Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 , the Council on Environmental Quality shall establish an online permitting portal— with the parameters described in paragraphs
(1)through
(3)of subsection
(a)for major Federal actions that require review under section 102(2)(C); and through which the public can access the documents identified under section 612(b) of the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 . ; and in subsection (c), as so redesignated— by striking There is authorized and inserting the following: There is authorized ; and by adding at the end the following: There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for the Council on Environmental Quality to carry out subsection (b). .
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