RAPID Act

Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2015 or the RAPID Act This bill establishes procedures to streamline the regulatory review, environmental decision making, and permitting process for major federal actions that are construction activities undertaken, reviewed, or funded by federal agencies. Upon the request of a lead agency responsible for preparing environmental review documents, a project sponsor is authorized to prepare environmental review documents for those activities if the agency furnishes oversight and independently evaluates, approves, and adopts the documents prior to taking action or making any approval based on the document. No more than one environmental impact statement and one environmental assessment for a project must be prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for a project, except for supplemental environmental documents prepared under NEPA or environmental documents prepared pursuant to a court order. After the lead agency issues a record of decision, federal agencies may only rely on the environmental document prepared by the lead agency. Projects may adopt certain environmental review documents of other projects located nearby or prepared by states under certain circumstances. The bill sets forth provisions concerning requirements for initiating and completing environmental review for a project, including for: (1) determining the range of alternatives to be considered in environmental review documents, and (2) a schedule and deadlines for completing the review. A lead agency may not use the social cost of carbon in the environmental review or environmental decision making process. Limitations are placed on claims arising under federal law seeking judicial review of a permit, license, or approval issued by a federal agency for an action subject to NEPA.