Press Releases
TOMORROW: U.S. House Tackles Red Tape to Deliver Infrastructure Solutions for America
Washington, DC,
February 27, 2023
The U.S. House Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure committees will begin discussions tomorrow on permitting reform. At 2:00 PM EST tomorrow, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act. A link to watch can be found HERE. "Government bureaucracy is handcuffing our ability to address critical problems like traffic, flood protection, resiliency, coastal restoration, or even projects that will increase energy affordability. Folks want to spend more time in their house than in traffic, see lower flood insurance and energy costs, create jobs, and reside in more resilient communities. Red tape gets in the way of progress, and no one benefits from a project until it is done. It doesn't have to be this way, and that is why we urgently need permitting reform," Graves said. "White House Infrastructure Czar Mitch Landrieu said recently, ‘Washington needs to learn how to make decisions faster and get money down to the ground quicker where people live.' I couldn't agree more. The federal government's inability to deliver is impacting Republicans and Democrats, those wanting to increase domestic conventional energy production, as well as those pushing for renewable energy projects. There are trillions of dollars recently appropriated to various infrastructure efforts but when you take supply chain, inflation, labor costs, and add the increased cost of bureaucracy, we aren't going to be able to build anything." The BUILDER Act would modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to make infrastructure project reviews more efficient, reduce project costs, spur economic development, and rebuild America while upholding environmental protection standards. Modernizing NEPA will fast-track Louisiana's coastal restoration, transportation, and energy infrastructure priorities – resulting in resilience that stimulates economic development and job opportunities. Click here to read a draft of the BUILDER Act. ### |