Westerman Advances Historic Bipartisan Permitting Reform Legislation

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee legislative hearing on three bipartisan bills that will help streamline the permitting process, including House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman's (R-Ark.) and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden's (D-Maine) Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"As we work in Congress to unleash domestic energy and mineral production and build the critical infrastructure America needs to maintain its global leadership position, one thing has become exceedingly clear: our permitting process is broken. Unfortunately, federal permitting has turned into a blunt tool used by radical litigants to block projects. Through commonsense reforms, we can strategically cut red tape and make it possible to build in the United States again. With the bipartisan SPEED Act, we can ensure America meets its growing energy needs, revitalizes its crumbling infrastructure, wins the AI race and keeps its citizens safe and secure while upholding the world's highest environmental standards and responsibly managing our natural resources."

Background

H.R. 573, the Studying NEPA's Impact on Projects Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.), will inform policymakers on the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969's (NEPA) impacts by requiring the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to publish an annual report on NEPA projects and outcomes, ensuring greater transparency.

H.R. 4503, the ePermit Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), will provide legislative direction on how federal agencies should implement electronic permitting systems and clarify CEQ's authority to coordinate interagency permitting technology efforts.

H.R. 4777, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), will make critical improvements to NEPA to streamline the permitting process and return the law to its intended purpose. The bill will shorten permitting timelines, reduce the frequency of frivolous litigation, limit judicial review timelines and clarify when NEPA is triggered.