Semiconductor industry: To Hell with the environment, start building fabs already
(2023/02/28)
- Reference: 1677614474
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/02/28/environmental_delays_chips_act/
- Source link:
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.
The disclosure comes in a [1]document [PDF] filed online by the US Department of Commerce last year that contains responses from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to a Request for Information (RFI) from the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
NIST [2]issued RFIs last year for public input on two of the programs authorized under the US CHIPS Act.
[3]
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.
[4]
[5]
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 (NEPA), 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.
[6]
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.
[7]Biden wants chipmakers to provide childcare if they want billions in free money
[8]Intel sponsors report on tech's role in decarbonisation and the irony isn't lost on us
[9]Why chasing the AI dragon may force big tech to take sustainability seriously
[10]EU parliament sets out two draft bills to forge ahead with Chips Act
[11]Chipmakers threaten to defect to US, EU if UK doesn't get its semiconductor plans sorted
At minimum, the SIA says the Department of Commerce should have the ability to "streamline and expedite" reviews to the greatest extent possible by utilizing tools under the Permitting Action Plan, for example. The latter is aimed at making environmental review and permit processes more efficient and transparent, and shaped by "early and meaningful public input."
Delays due to "burdensome reviews" would put at risk the economic, supply chain, and national security benefits that are the very purpose of the CHIPS Act, the SIA claims in its response.
This submission from SIA underscores the tensions in Washington between the goals of protecting the environment and that of ensuring the US retains its technological lead against a rising China.
An exemption from environmental planning regulations for federally funded chip projects could prove damaging for the Biden administration as the semiconductor industry is both polluting and has a huge carbon footprint.
[12]
Not only does the construction of semiconductor fabs call for large amounts of concrete, a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, but the facilities themselves consume lots of electricity and water in operation, and generate copious amounts of waste, as detailed in a [13]report by The Guardian newspaper in late 2021.
The SIA has today published a statement welcoming the release by the Department of Commerce of a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the CHIPS Act, a procedural step that sets in motion the process for companies to apply for manufacturing grants.
"We stand ready to work with Commerce Secretary Raimondo and leaders in the Commerce Department’s CHIPS Office to ensure the new law is implemented effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously," SIA president and CEO John Neuffer said in the statement. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOC-2022-0001-0096/attachment_1.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/14/nist_chips_act_public/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/28/biden_chips_child_care/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/22/tech_carbon_emissions_report/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/06/ai_sustainability_tech/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/16/eu_chips_act_bills/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/14/uk_chipmakers_brexit/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/18/semiconductor-silicon-chips-carbon-footprint-climate
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The disclosure comes in a [1]document [PDF] filed online by the US Department of Commerce last year that contains responses from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to a Request for Information (RFI) from the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
NIST [2]issued RFIs last year for public input on two of the programs authorized under the US CHIPS Act.
[3]
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.
[4]
[5]
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 (NEPA), 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.
[6]
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.
[7]Biden wants chipmakers to provide childcare if they want billions in free money
[8]Intel sponsors report on tech's role in decarbonisation and the irony isn't lost on us
[9]Why chasing the AI dragon may force big tech to take sustainability seriously
[10]EU parliament sets out two draft bills to forge ahead with Chips Act
[11]Chipmakers threaten to defect to US, EU if UK doesn't get its semiconductor plans sorted
At minimum, the SIA says the Department of Commerce should have the ability to "streamline and expedite" reviews to the greatest extent possible by utilizing tools under the Permitting Action Plan, for example. The latter is aimed at making environmental review and permit processes more efficient and transparent, and shaped by "early and meaningful public input."
Delays due to "burdensome reviews" would put at risk the economic, supply chain, and national security benefits that are the very purpose of the CHIPS Act, the SIA claims in its response.
This submission from SIA underscores the tensions in Washington between the goals of protecting the environment and that of ensuring the US retains its technological lead against a rising China.
An exemption from environmental planning regulations for federally funded chip projects could prove damaging for the Biden administration as the semiconductor industry is both polluting and has a huge carbon footprint.
[12]
Not only does the construction of semiconductor fabs call for large amounts of concrete, a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, but the facilities themselves consume lots of electricity and water in operation, and generate copious amounts of waste, as detailed in a [13]report by The Guardian newspaper in late 2021.
The SIA has today published a statement welcoming the release by the Department of Commerce of a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the CHIPS Act, a procedural step that sets in motion the process for companies to apply for manufacturing grants.
"We stand ready to work with Commerce Secretary Raimondo and leaders in the Commerce Department’s CHIPS Office to ensure the new law is implemented effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously," SIA president and CEO John Neuffer said in the statement. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOC-2022-0001-0096/attachment_1.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/14/nist_chips_act_public/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/28/biden_chips_child_care/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/22/tech_carbon_emissions_report/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/06/ai_sustainability_tech/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/16/eu_chips_act_bills/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/14/uk_chipmakers_brexit/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y-6HljPV9eEhUJyo-PmxggAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/18/semiconductor-silicon-chips-carbon-footprint-climate
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Burdensome Reviews
elsergiovolador
The thing is, the CEOs, board members and large shareholders couldn't care less if most of the staff dies within 10-20 years or that the area the built their fab will cause extinction of all habitat.
After all, when the something unpleasant hits the fan, they can grab the remaining assets and f off to the nearest clean beach and sip margaritas.
Little people
elsergiovolador
After all the laws are for little people and the rich can pick and choose, mix and match and anything in between.
Re: Little people
b0llchit
You missed another good argument: Environmental rules kills our jobs!
/s
Burdensome Reviews
The industries which cry about burdensome environmental reviews are the same ones which went whole-hog, pollution-dumping-crazy when they were un- or under-regulated.
A local major plant, established in the late 1950s, refines rare metals; a byproduct of that is a large volume of low-level radioactive waste. They buried it in a series of clay-lined pits. In a known flood zone. Which flooded. Multiple times.
There seems to be no end of lack-of-reasonable-foresight/imagination, of simple-don't-give-a-fuckage, and of amoral-we-can-make-more-money-this-way corporate decisions. Education and/or scientific knowledge do not change this.
(Icon because that waste material burns "vigorously". The company has their own, special, on-premises fire department, which is frequently used.)