House bill aims to streamline environmental permitting process

The Chamber of Commerce is pushing Congress to pass legislation that streamlines the permitting process for energy and infrastructure projects. 

With Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) reintroduced the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act in the House last week. The bill passed in the last session by a vote of 229-179 but was not acted on by the upper chamber. 

Now with a Republican majority in the Senate, Marino said he’s determined to get the bill on President Obama’s desk.  

“Everybody agrees that new or improved infrastructure is needed in nearly every corner of America,” he said in a statement. “Everybody agrees lower energy costs mean more money in their pockets. And everybody agrees that approving critically important economic projects should be simple. This is exactly what my RAPID Act does.”

The bill aims to eliminate duplicative processes and reward good environmental stewards by streamlining the environmental permitting process.

“Every year, infrastructure and major facilities projects are stalled, cancelled, or lose funding because of a dysfunctional permitting process that allows for endless delays,” William Kovacs, the Chamber’s senior vice president of environment, technology and regulatory affairs, said in a news release. 

“As a result, millions of U.S. jobs go uncreated. The Chamber applauds the bipartisan efforts of Representatives Marino and Peterson on their introduction of important legislation aimed at addressing this problem.”