Rep. Garret Graves
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee recently marked up and approved clean water permitting legislation that includes amendments offered by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA).
The T&I Committee on Jan. 31 passed the Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, H.R. 7023, introduced on Jan. 17 by U.S. Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ability to issue water quality standards, protect industrial polluters from responsibility for discharging dangerous pollutants, eliminate EPA’s authority to permanently veto a project, and minimize review of large and potentially harmful projects.
“This package is another positive step toward modernizing permitting so that critical infrastructure projects may be carried out more efficiently,” Rep. Graves said. “We have consistently fought to modernize outdated permitting laws so that they are no longer obstacles to protecting the people and resources they should be serving.
“We commend Rep. Rouzer for his work on this legislation that goes hand-in-hand with our legislative efforts — the first changes to the National Environmental Policy Act in 40 years — to improve efficiency and expedite project review,” added the congressman.
Rep. Graves offered three amendments to the committee-approved H.R. 7023 that were accepted and included in the package.
The first would ensure certainty in National Pollution Discharge Elimination System general permits by requiring notice if a permit will not be renewed and providing a continuance for those permits when bureaucrats are dragging their feet, according to a summary provided by his staff.
The second amendment offered by Rep. Graves would specify standing requirements for lawsuits over 404 permits so that a plaintiff would have had to actually participate in the public comment process and by doing so have already raised the specific issue before they can bring a lawsuit, the summary says.
And the third would require the EPA to produce implementation guidance for its 2023 Waters of the United States rule to conform with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA.
H.R. 7023 now heads to the full U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.