On the recordJune 1, 2023
I rise today to discuss the importance of both the permitting sections and the provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline that are included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I want to commend Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans for negotiating legislation that makes responsible reductions in government spending while avoiding a government default. Included in this legislation are key elements of the BUILDER Act permitting reform proposal, which was championed by Congressman Garret Graves and by House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman. The bill represents a positive first step in improving the permitting projects for all kinds of projects. By amending the National Environmental Policy Act for the first time since 1982, we will help projects of all types whether we are talking about a road, a bridge, a transmission line, a renewable energy project, a pipeline, or a port. Simply put, a project shouldn't take longer to permit than it takes to build, and that should be true regardless of what type of project is under consideration. This legislation will impose statutory deadlines on the completion of environmental impact statements and environmental assessments. It will streamline the review process with threshold language that tells Agencies when various levels of review are necessary. It allows Agencies to share categorical exclusions for similar projects, because multiple Agencies should not have to do the same work twice.…
