A faster federal approval process for construction projects would help create jobs and get vital infrastructure projects completed, according to a recent statement by Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.).
Bachus, the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, held a hearing on Thursday that examined significant projects across the country that have faced years of delay in part because of a protracted permitting procedure.
“One thing we can all agree on is that we need more jobs, and construction jobs are some of the best-paying jobs out there,” Bachus said. “Unfortunately, a big roadblock to creating more of these jobs is the inexcusably slow review process imposed by Washington on the permitting of new construction projects.”
William Kovacs, the senior vice president with the Chamber of Commerce, testified at the hearing. He said that reforming the process would generate new jobs not only in the construction industry, but in many other related sectors including heavy equipment, quarries and mining, steel and iron and truck, freight and transportation.
Participants of the hearing also discussed why it took 12 years to secure regulatory approval for an offshore wind energy project in Cape Code, Mass. The prolonged process delayed the creation of hundreds of jobs and the development of a new source of renewable energy, Bachus said.
Bachus recently introduced the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act. The proposed bill is designed to streamline the permitting system while ensuring that all appropriate environmental reviews are performed.