The GOP-led House is making its first attempt at energy "permitting reform" in the new Congress as the Natural Resources Committee begins hearings Tuesday.
The reform issue was a hot topic last year, when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., tried to pass legislation designed to speed up approval and construction of new energy projects.
Unlike many issues, there appears to be bipartisan support for permitting reform. However, opinions have differed over which kinds of energy projects to support.
Manchin’s proposal, which was endorsed by President Joe Biden, was opposed by many liberal Democrats and many Republicans. It was drawn up without GOP input.
The Natural Resources Committee will hold two hearings Tuesday to consider three separate bills dealing with environmental and permitting procedures — which Republicans say will make it easier for project developers to build pipelines and other energy infrastructure — and different aspects of mining law, the Washington Examiner reported.
Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., is sponsoring a bill that would codify Trump-era regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
NEPA attempted to put clearer timelines for reviews of a project.
The Biden administration, however, replaced those regulations with its own prioritizing, which stresses considering the impact of a project on climate change.
Westerman's bill also would exempt certain activities from being considered "major actions" in need of full environmental analysis under NEPA.
Opponents of new infrastructure projects have held up the work by suing and successfully arguing that federal agencies failed to access a given project's environmental impact under such laws as the NEPA, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., is sponsoring a bill that would amend NEPA to require a "lead agency" when several agencies are involved during the review process. The idea is that it will reduce time needed for review.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., who chairs the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, is sponsoring a bill that would set time limits on environmental reviews.
"Without significant reforms, there's nothing to stop [environmental reviews] from getting longer and longer," a Republican committee aide told reporters ahead of the hearing.
Some Democrats back permitting reform, but party members’ main focus is installing more wind and solar power infrastructure.
Manchin's legislation would have required the president to identify traditional fossil fuel energy projects, along with renewable energy and mining, that should be prioritized by federal agencies, the Examiner said.
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