Richard Hudson: “my bill, H.R. 3668, would guarantee we protect the environment, ensure we protect public health, and lower energy costs…”

“my bill, H.R. 3668, would guarantee we protect the environment, ensure we protect public health, and lower energy costs by speeding up energy projects through much-needed reforms to the permitting of interstate natural gas pipelines. The development of interstate pipelines currently faces significant regulatory and statutory hurdles. In fact, in 2024, we produced less than half the pipeline miles we built just 5 years ago. Our regulatory and statutory permitting process must both protect the environment and reflect the urgency and importance of the projected growth in natural gas demand. Despite the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission being granted increased authority under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, pipeline project approvals are consistently delayed because of a lack of coordination between the numerous agencies involved in the permitting process. My bill would make this process more efficient by bringing stakeholders, including agencies, to the table so concerns can be identified early in the process. From there, agencies participating in the permitting process would perform important environmental reviews while complying with schedules established by FERC. H.R. 3668 would also improve the water quality review process by moving that responsibility from the States to FERC. For the past decade, a few States, especially in the Northeast, have used this federally delegated section 401 authority to obstruct interstate projects.”