On the recordMarch 29, 2023
Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support H.R. 1 and permitting reform under the National Environmental Protection Act, also known as NEPA. Nebraska has been on the frontlines of NEPA's impacts over the course of a decades-long expressway program through my Congressional District. It has taken 10 more years than it should have. Under the Obama administration, the length of time for NEPA reviews climbed from 3.4 years in 2010 to 5.2 years in 2016. President Trump rolled back the red tape, but President Biden brought it all back and expanded the prior requirements. H.R. 1 makes reasonable reforms to ensure that NEPA is applied expeditiously and without unnecessarily burdening States. In Nebraska, and I suspect way too many other States, commonsense solutions and mitigation strategies to steward our natural resources need to be protected, but we need to do it under NEPA.
