Reacting to the broad support his Promoting New Manufacturing Act received while passing a House of Representatives vote, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on Monday the bill would “jumpstart our nation’s economy.”
The House voted 238-172 to pass the bill, which reduces manufacturing permit delays by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to provide timely guidance regarding compliance with new or revised air quality standards, and provide public access to information about the number of permits issued annually and timelines for final pre-construction permit decisions.
“This bipartisan jobs bill serves as a check and balance against job-killing radical EPA regulations by increasing transparency, cutting through unnecessary red tape and forcing unelected bureaucrats to use real science to prove that their regulatory proposals can actually be achieved in the real world,” Scalise said. “By bringing transparency to the convoluted permitting process and cutting red tape at the EPA, we can jumpstart our nation’s economy and get our country back on track. I would like to thank my colleagues in the House for passing this much-needed legislation that will help revive our country’s manufacturing base and create thousands of high-paying jobs for hard-working Americans.”
In a release, Scalise cited an American Chemistry Council statistic that there are 180 announced manufacturing projects that would contribute $115 billion to the U.S. economy – but that many of them are being held up by the EPA permit process.