Input Stories

The House of Representatives passed the Lower Energy Costs Act, a bipartisan compendium of policies aimed at reforming a broken permitting process and bolstering energy U.S. production, The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports.

What’s going on: The bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), would boost U.S. competitiveness.

• The legislation bolsters domestic energy production on federal lands and waters and streamlines processes for the mining and refining of critical minerals. It also sets time limits for environmental reviews of major energy and infrastructure projects.
• The NAM has been at the forefront of the push for permitting reform—and H.R. 1’s House passage is a response to that advocacy.

The NAM says: “Now is the time to strengthen our energy security and expand domestic manufacturing—both to reduce our dependence on bad actors and to ensure we can support our allies,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said.

• “This bipartisan action to modernize permitting reform would help us achieve these goals by speeding up critical energy, infrastructure and manufacturing investments while we continue our commitment to environmental stewardship.”