NAM Leaders Call on Senate to Strike Permitting Reform Deal
The Senate must move quickly on permitting reform legislation to deliver the certainty manufacturers in the U.S. need to invest, build and grow, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, Rockwell Chairman and CEO and NAM Board Chair Blake Moret, J.M. Smucker Company CEO, President and Chair of the Board and NAM Board Vice Chair Mark Smucker, Click Bond CEO and NAM SMM Group Chair Karl Hutter and Husco CEO and NAM SMM Group Vice Chair Austin Ramirez said today.
- POLITICO energy reporter Josh Siegel was first to spotlight NAM leaders’ call, posting the message on X.
The clock is ticking: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) gave negotiators a deadline of today to agree on the legislation, giving the Senate enough time to bring a bill to the floor before they leave to campaign (POLITICO, subscription).
A bipartisan issue: “Manufacturers applaud the hard work that the bipartisan negotiators have done to find practical solutions to these challenges,” the NAM leaders told the senators steering these negotiations, as well as the Senate majority and minority leaders.
- “It is a testament to our democracy that leaders from both parties can come together to seek common ground and address the major challenges that are facing manufacturers in the United States.”
Why it matters: “Reforming our permitting processes will make it easier and more cost-efficient for manufacturers to get shovels in the ground on job-creating projects,” the NAM leaders said.
- “Manufacturers cannot afford inaction. Our nation’s broken permitting system affects projects in every industry and of every energy source and directly contributes to the rising cost of electricity to homeowners and businesses,” they added.
- “Right now, in the United States, it takes 80% longer to get a permit authorized for a manufacturing facility than it does in any other free market economy.”
- In addition, “According to a study the NAM conducted with the Foundation for American Innovation, permitting delays cost manufacturers at least $8 billion every year.”
The bottom line: “Manufacturers are ready to build in America; we just need the certainty and a modernized permitting process to make it happen,” the leaders concluded.
- “Should the Senate come to an agreement and pass legislation this month, we would call on the House to move expeditiously to consider the bipartisan comprehensive agreement and deliver this manufacturing win to the American people.”
NAM in the news: As part of its national “Building to Win” campaign, the NAM today launched a new ad campaign calling for action on infrastructure and permitting reform. Axios covered the ad.
