Niki Tsongas: “Expanding broadband access in rural America and communities adjacent to public lands is a bipartisan priority on the…”

“Expanding broadband access in rural America and communities adjacent to public lands is a bipartisan priority on the Natural Resources Committee. I want to thank Representative Curtis for working with committee Democrats to improve this bill since it was introduced. H.R. 4824 gives States the primary responsibility for issuing environmental review permits for broadband projects in those areas that already have rights-of-way for existing infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and trails. At markup, Representative Curtis amended the bill to address several concerns brought forward by Native American stakeholders and committee Democrats. This includes guarantees that Tribal governments are consulted and can participate in the development of memoranda of understanding for projects that cross their land. This is a critical improvement. The bill we are considering today also removes language that would have broadly exempted certain projects from any environmental reviews and eliminated public comment periods. However, there are still a number of outstanding issues that I hope can be addressed as this bill makes its way through the legislative process in the Senate. For example, I believe that we should continue to perfect language that allows for public comment periods and strengthens the ability of our Federal land management agencies to enforce any MOU that is signed with a State government.…”