President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed legislation that will exempt some U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facilities from new federal environmental reviews that are receiving government subsidies, the White House said.

President Joe Biden is set to sign a bill in the coming days that would exempt some semiconductor chip projects from strict federal environmental reviews, despite concerns from environmental campaigners and House Democratic leaders that the move could allow chipmakers to sidestep safeguards.

The legislation, which would weaken federal environmental reviews for certain semiconductor manufacturing projects, has divided Democrats.

President Biden on Wednesday signed legislation exempting semiconductor manufacturing facilities from environmental reviews — despite objections from some Democrats and green activists who have expressed concerns about the potential for toxic waste.