Permitting Reform Bill Advances in Senate
Bipartisan legislation intended to speed up the permitting process for new energy projects easily cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Wednesday, and that’s good news for manufacturers, the NAM said after the 15–4 vote.
What’s going on: The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024—put forward by Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV), committee chairman, and John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member—“contains a range of provisions that aim to bolster various types of energy, including … mineral mining, oil and gas, renewable energy and power lines” (The Hill).
Specifically, it will enable Congress to achieve its broader energy goals and the development of:
- Renewable energy projects;
- Pipelines for traditional energy, hydrogen and carbon capture storage;
- Critical mineral mines and processing facilities;
- Semiconductor and battery manufacturing fabs;
- Interstate transmission lines; and
- Hydroelectric and nuclear power plants.
Competitive advantage: Permitting reform will also help the U.S. compete against China, said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons.
- “Streamlining permitting processes, cutting red tape, requiring that federal agencies make timely decisions and reducing the potential for baseless litigation will help prevent years-long delays for manufacturers—delays that give other countries a distinct advantage and put our own security at risk,” Timmons said. “America should never be content with a system that can take 10 or 15 years to approve urgently needed projects.”