Press Releases

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves released the following statement regarding the permitting legislation being pushed by President Joe Biden, Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin, and others. Modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) would help fast-track Louisiana's coastal restoration projects, transportation projects and energy infrastructure priorities – stimulating economic development and job opportunities.

"There are a lot of things in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022 that resemble our BUILDER Act, but the differences are significant. The Manchin bill significantly improves upon the structure of the decision-making process as compared to current practices, but it fails to establish clear timelines or the certainty needed to actually implement project solutions. We can't give extraordinary discretion on timelines, scope, and when NEPA actually applies (NEPA threshold) to the same bureaucrats that created the never-ending do-loop project assessment. It also excludes the litigation criteria that are a key part of the BUILDER Act.

"The biggest confirmation that the bill falls far short of what is needed is the fact that the legislation creates an alternative, streamlined process for 25 to-be-selected projects – and the Mountain Valley Project is exempt. Perhaps our litmus test should be if it's good enough for the MVP, it's good enough for the rest of America. For years, we have been working to reform the project delivery system. In Louisiana, we've spent seven years trying to find a location for a new Mississippi River bridge. The red tape and bureaucracy have delayed our coastal restoration projects. We have to get permitting reform right."

To read Graves' BUILDER Act, click here.

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