Capito, Barrasso unveil bills to speed up permitting and environmental reviews

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) recently sponsored legislation to streamline the nation’s sluggish permitting and environmental approval processes to make it easier to build energy, transportation, and other infrastructure projects.

Sen. Capito, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced two bills on May 4 that aim to cut red tape, modernize the permitting process, and prevent the delays that have slowed down projects across the country.

“The current permitting and project review process slows the construction of roads and bridges, discourages domestic energy production, and minimizes investments made in our nation’s infrastructure, all of which has resulted in fewer jobs and higher prices for Americans,” Sen. Capito said.

Sen. Capito sponsored the Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act, S. 1449. The bill would modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including by implementing strict deadlines for agencies to complete necessary project review documents, such as environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, according to a summary of the bill. It also would establish time limits to prevent lengthy legal battles, requiring courts to process NEPA challenges and issue a final judgment within 180 days, and calls for updating other current laws that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction while maintaining environmental protections.

The RESTART Act is cosponsored by Sen. Barrasso and Republican members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The bill Sen. Barrasso sponsored, the Spur Permitting of Underdeveloped Resources (SPUR) Act, S. 1456, would expedite permitting of energy infrastructure, increase American energy and mineral production, and strengthen energy security, according to a bill summary.

“We need to lower prices for American families and unleash American energy,” Sen. Barrasso said. “The way to do that is to impose strict deadlines and stop endless litigation. We must also block the administration from hijacking the permitting process to kill worthy projects.”

The SPUR Act is cosponsored by Sen. Capito and Republican members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, including Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

“Our permitting system is broken, and Montanans are paying for it,” Sen. Daines said. “Government red tape makes it harder to manage our forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires, cuts Montana energy jobs, threatens Montanans’ access to reliable and affordable energy, and holds up projects that would improve our Montana communities.”

Several priorities of Sen. Daines that would benefit Montanans were included in the SPUR Act, including his legislative fix to the Cottonwood 9th Circuit Court decision and his Root and Stem Act, which would improve active forest management, energy leasing streamlining, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission extensions to keep costs low.

The SPUR Act also includes three permitting reform priorities led by Sen. Hoeven, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act, the North American Energy Act, and the Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Projects Act.

“Reforming the broken permitting and environmental review processes will create jobs, enhance our geopolitical competitiveness, and bring down costs for hardworking families through increased American energy production and greater energy security,” Sen. Hoeven said.

Sen. Capito said she was confident the lawmakers can find bipartisan consensus and accomplish real permitting reform to make it easier to build in America.