The Department of Energy is proposing a rule change that would aim to speed up the permitting process for certain clean energy projects.

The agency on Wednesday night announced proposed changes to its rule governing compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, a 1970 law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of projects before approval. The changes would essentially speed up the process of getting certain clean energy projects approved, as they would qualify for the “simplest form of environmental review” under the law.

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The projects that would qualify include energy storage systems, transmission line upgrades, and solar technology.

“DOE carefully considered its experience with energy storage, transmission line upgrades, and solar energy projects to propose a simpler environmental review process,” the announcement reads. “Under the proposed changes, DOE would continue to look closely at each proposed project while being able to complete its environmental review responsibilities in a faster and less expensive manner.”

These projects would qualify as categorical exclusions under NEPA — projects the DOE found can be excluded from a detailed environmental analysis since they do not significantly affect the environment. Projects that require environmental assessments and impact statements, however, require longer analysis and therefore take longer to approve.

In August, the DOE proposed a separate rule that would streamline the federal permitting process for major transmission lines by requiring environmental reviews and other federal approvals for electric power lines to be completed within two years.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been trying to find middle ground on the issue of permitting reform but to no avail. Democrats have been focused on efforts that would speed up the approval of clean energy projects, while Republicans have been pushing for getting fossil fuel projects cleared faster by overhauling NEPA.

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Democrats, on the other hand, have been facing internal disagreement over NEPA reform, with some suggesting it’s necessary for faster approval of projects, while others fear it could risk limiting local input from communities that could be affected by the additional infrastructure.

The proposed rule is open to a public comment period through Jan. 2 of next year.