Hank Johnson: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment and title…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment and title 61 of the underlying bill, which adopts the text of S. 280, the Federal Permitting Improvement Act. Before addressing my substantive concerns, I have serious procedural objections to the inclusion of title 61 in a transportation funding bill. S. 280, the Federal Permitting Improvement Act, was attached to the transportation bill on the Senate floor through a manager's amendment offered by Senate Majority Leader McConnell. It was adopted without adequate debate in an expedited process just days before the August recess. The bill has not been introduced in the House. Neither the House nor the Senate has had a hearing on the text of this bill, which involves a nuanced area of the law with broad implications for public health and safety. Moving to the substance of title 61, this bill is a misguided attempt to restrict public input and challenges in the permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Over 40 years, NEPA has saved time, money, and protected the environment, all while providing a framework for wide-ranging input from all affected interests when a Federal agency conducts an environmental review of a proposed project. Title 61 of H.R. 22 discards this commonsense approach by severely curtailing the public's right to challenge permitting decisions in several ways.…”