The House of Representatives recently approved a sweeping energy bill that includes provisions led by U.S. Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Greg Walden (R-OR).
The National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act, led by Amodei, was included in the larger Energy Policy Modernization Act, S. 2012, that was approved last week.
The bill would streamline the permitting process for mineral exploration and development projects by defining the responsibilities of lead agencies and limiting the total review process for issuing permits to 30 months.
“Duplicative regulations, bureaucratic inefficiency and lack of coordination between federal agencies unnecessarily threaten our economy and jeopardize our national security — especially when it comes to mining strategic and critical minerals in America,” Amodei said. “Critical and strategic minerals are essential to the technologies that make our daily lives and economy work. From military technology, such as aircraft and missiles used to defend our country, to the cars, smartphones and televisions we use every day, they all require critical and strategic minerals.”
Mineral exploration, however, has stagnated since the 1990s due to regulatory changes to the permitting process, Amodei said, with the average permit approval process now seven to 10 years.
“My bill would streamline the permitting process to leverage our nation’s vast mineral resources, while paying respect to economic, national security and environmental concerns,” Amodei said. “By simply asking federal land managers to collaborate with all stakeholders in an effort to expedite the process in two-and-a-half years, as opposed to indefinite timelines, my legislation would not change any environmental regulations, protections or opportunity for public input. My legislation has already received nearly 800 bipartisan votes, passing the House the past two Congresses in addition to the 114th.”
The Resilient Federal Forests Act was also included in the House-approved Energy Policy Modernization Act with strong support from Walden.
The bill would reform federal forest policy that has tied forest managers’ hands with “a one-size-fits-all rule” that prohibits the harvesting of trees over 21 inches in diameter, Walden said.
“This measure was implemented temporarily in 1997, but still has not been lifted nearly 20 years later,” Walden said. “It represents really poor science. It only serves as a source of frequent appeals and litigation. Repealing this will give our forest managers the flexibility they need to use modern science to actually manage the forests for healthier conditions.”
Under the Resilient Federal Forests Act, environmental process requirements would be simplified, project-planning times would be reduced and the cost of implementing forest management projects would be reduced.
The larger Energy Policy Modernization Act was approved with support from U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
“The U.S. is now the world’s leading energy producer, but our pipelines and electric grid haven’t kept pace with the rapid transition,” Whitfield said. “This legislation is a broad, bipartisan energy bill that seeks to update and modernize outdated policies rooted in an era of energy scarcity and with it make our energy infrastructure more resilient while unleashing more economic growth and advancing our foreign policy objectives.”
U.S. Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Cresent Hardy (R-NV) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) have been tapped to serve on a conference committee that will work with members of the Senate to negotiate differences between House and Senate versions of the bill.
McMorris Rodgers, the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said that the legislation “significantly reforms our energy and public lands practices” to allow for innovation.
“I am proud to be leading the hydropower and forestry reforms that are included in this bill, and I believe it is important they remain strong components in any final version,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I look forward to strengthening this legislation and delivering for Eastern Washington. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as a Conferee on this landmark energy package.”
Thompson said that he was looking forward to working with his House colleagues on a final energy bill that brings energy infrastructure into the 21st century.
“Included in this package is legislation that will help improve the management and health of our federal forest land, including the Allegheny National Forest,” Thompson said.
Shimkus, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that there have been major changes in the way America produces and uses energy over the last decade.
“We’re now the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, and new technologies and regulations continue to change the way we power our homes and businesses,” Shimkus said. “We need to update federal policies to better reflect these changes, to keep energy costs low and to create more jobs.”
In appointing Hardy to serve on the conference committee, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said that Hardy is “one of our best first-term members of Congress” and that Ryan has “immense confidence in him” to resolve differences in the House and Senate bills.
“I am honored by the immense responsibility to finish this important legislation. Affordable energy does more than keep the lights on; it powers our homes, facilitates transportation and drives our economy,” Hardy said. “In essence, good energy policies keep America’s engine running. This legislation supports a truly diverse approach to energy production that will put money back in the pockets of Americans by making it more affordable to fill up at the pump and by lowering monthly electrical bills.”