On Tuesday, December 10, the House of Representatives passed two bipartisan permitting reform bills, H.R. 573, the Studying NEPA’s Impacts on Projects Act and H.R. 4503, the ePERMIT Act. The House is also set to consider a third permitting reform bill, H.R. 3898, the PERMIT Act.
If enacted, H.R. 573 would streamline the permitting process by requiring the Center for Environmental Quality to submit to Congress an annual report on NEPA reviews, outlining civil suits filed against NEPA decisions. H.R. 4503, the ePERMIT Act, would streamline the permitting process by requiring electronic permitting filings be used throughout the NEPA permitting process.
In addition, H.R. 3898, the PERMIT Act, will improve the Clean Water Act permitting processes, ensuring contractors can continue to rebuild our nation’s critical infrastructure. By passing the PERMIT Act, Congress can lend stability to the WOTUS debate, codifying longstanding exclusions, improving predictability and consistency.
Project delays caused by prolonged reviews, permitting, and litigation increase costs and harm the construction workforce by delaying job creation, disrupting hiring, and reducing economic activity. When projects stall, construction firms delay hiring or lay off workers, creating uncertainty for skilled tradespeople and harming local economies. These bills will help mitigate permitting delays that often impact critical infrastructure projects nationwide.
AGC supports the passage of these three bills with a Key Vote letter circulated to all Representatives. We look forward to the Senate taking them up for consideration at a later date.
For more information, please contact John Chambers or Melinda Tomaino.