The Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2015 (RAPID Act), U.S. Rep. Tom Marino’s (R-PA) signature piece of legislation, moved onto the Senate for consideration after passing the House by a bipartisan vote of 233-170 last week.
The RAPID Act is designed to streamline the approval and permitting processes for federally funded energy, critical infrastructure and other vital construction projects.
“Millions of Americans are still out of work,” Marino said. “Hundreds of critical infrastructure projects await approval. Yet, as I have said before, the primary reason for this is because the federal bureaucracy strangles our economy with needless red tape and duplicative regulations. However, there is a simple and reasonable solution, the RAPID Act. It will streamline the federal approval process, increase certainty within the markets and create jobs. Passage of the RAPID Act will bring America one step closer to the leaner, more efficient and prosperous country we deserve.”
The RAPID Act also requires federal oversight agencies to provide approval or disapproval of a project in a reasonable amount of time.
“The RAPID Act will bring accountability and expediency to the permit approval process by setting hard deadlines, instituting oversight on those who control the process, and cracking down on costly and time-consuming lawsuits,” U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, added.