The semiconductor industry is seeking to bypass US environmental protection rules to speed up fab construction, warning US government that delays derail the purpose of the CHIPS Act; to outpace China in technology.[PDF] filed online by the US Department of Commerce last year that contains responses from the Semiconductor Industry Association to a Request for Information from the CHIPS Program Office within the National Institute of Standards and Technology .
In it, the SIA urges that any semiconductor projects resulting from the CHIPS for America Fund should be implemented"without regulatory delay" and that the CPO and Biden administration as a whole should address any barriers that could impede CHIPS projects. The kind of set backs SIA has in mind are that projects receiving CHIPS Act funding will be subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act , and this might lead to"significant delays in the disbursement of CHIPS funds" resulting in holdups to the construction and operation of new chip-making infrastructure.
NEPA requires federal agencies to give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major projects and submit environmental assessments and impact statements. The way to avoid such delays is for the CPO to work to provide"a categorical exclusion for CHIPS projects based on criteria developed after consultation with affected stakeholders," the SIA suggests.