The U.S. House of Representatives on March 21 passed legislation led by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) to prevent permitting abuses by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a larger package of bills.
The congressman’s Reducing Permitting Uncertainty Act, H.R. 7026, which he sponsored on Jan. 17, received House approval as part of the broader Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, H.R. 7023.
“I am especially proud to see legislation I authored to prevent EPA permitting abuses included in the Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act,” Rep. Stauber said. “I look forward to seeing this legislation create more certainty in the permitting process, thus increasing our energy production.”
The package of reforms to the Clean Water Act (CWA) permitting processes would continue to support clean water for the nation while reducing regulatory burdens for the approval of energy and infrastructure projects, according to a bill summary provided by the U.S. House Transportation Committee.
Specifically, Rep. Stauber’s H.R. 7026 would prevent the EPA from using its CWA veto authority to preemptively reject drudge and fill projects that have yet to file an application or retroactively eliminate projects that have already received permits.
“For too long, the Clean Water Act has been weaponized by radical environmentalists to block permits for critical energy and infrastructure projects,” said Rep. Stauber. “This has come at an incredible cost to the communities we serve, and Congress must act to modernize the Clean Water Act in order to prevent further harm.”
If enacted, reforms under the larger H.R. 7023 would reaffirm the original goals of the CWA, reduce regulatory requirements, protect permit holders from delays and lawsuits, and increase transparency and stakeholder participation in the development of water quality criteria, the summary says.
The U.S. Senate received H.R. 7023 on March 22 and referred it to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for consideration.