Environment Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Address Permitting Reform Under the Clean Air Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, led a hearing titled From Gridlock to Growth: Permitting Reform Under the Clean Air Act.

"This was a vital opportunity for our Subcommittee to examine the issues surrounding the Clean Air Act and our nation's critical infrastructure," said Chairman Palmer. "During the hearing, we spoke with key witnesses who have seen the impact that overreaching regulations, which have become disconnected from the Clean Air Act, can have on American communities. Addressing these outdated and ineffective regulations through commonsense legislation will help onshore American jobs, reduce unreasonable regulatory burdens, and safeguard our environment."

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today's hearing:

Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02): "If we want to beat China in the AI and advanced manufacturing race, we can't regulate ourselves into industrial decline. The Clean Air Act permitting system is outdated, and projects that should be greenlit in months take years - if they happen at all - and companies that go beyond compliance to cut emissions, they get punished with additional red tape. Energy, like natural gas that has lowered emissions, becomes a boogeyman for the radical left. None of this overregulation makes our air cleaner. It kills investment, it delays cleaner technology, and it drives industry overseas, stifling American job growth in these vital sectors - and really just passing along pollution somewhere else."

Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13): "The need for permitting reform has never been more pressing. I think you know that across the country, projects are stalled due to burdensome and unworkable regulations. Economic growth has been stunted by outdated provisions. It's costing American jobs. It's costing American energy, and it's certainly threatening our national security. We continue to face the consequences of tightening regulations, despite the fact that U.S. emissions have consistently decreased over the past ten years, resulting in America's air quality rating absolutely being among the best in the world. To keep America globally competitive, we must ensure that common sense, attainable standards prevail."

Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08): "In Colorado, we know that roughly 70% of the emissions in the state don't originate from the state of Colorado. And so, through things like the Clean Air Act, we heavily regulate the economy - but we're not actually getting to the root of the problem-which is where these emissions are coming from. And what we end up doing is regulating the economy, losing jobs, losing the cost of living... And so, if you were in our position, what reforms would you prioritize in the permitting process so that our economy isn't strangled by events outside of the control of?" Mr. Woods: "I think [this question] is a really timely one and one that is not limited to Colorado. And I think there are national solutions that already exist within the Clean Air Act, but also could be invigorated with action by this body."

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