Yakym testifies in support of his legislation to improve the federal permitting process

Today, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) testified at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing in support of his legislation H.R. 6129, the Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act. This commonsense legislation would streamline and improve the federal permitting process by requiring the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to submit an annual report regarding litigation under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ would be required to report on:

• The number of NEPA litigation by agency, case status, case outcome, and type of plaintiff.
• The NEPA paperwork burden, including average and median Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) page length; the number of draft and final EIS published; and a description of trends over the previous five-years.
• The average length of time it takes for a project to navigate the NEPA process, with a description of trends over the previous ten-years.

"Though well-intentioned, NEPA has, over time, become something of a four-letter word, more often associated with frivolous lawsuits, mountains of paperwork, project delays, and cost overruns than with environmental protection," Rep. Yakym testified today. "My bill would require CEQ to report on NEPA-related litigation, the length of required NEPA reports, the amount of time it takes to clear the NEPA process, and the costs to taxpayers and project sponsors of NEPA-related delays."

"We should be ensuring that our nation can build roads, bridges, manufacturing plants, and energy generation and transmission in a timely and efficient manner. We simply cannot afford to allow NEPA to gum up the process – doing so will jeopardize the American economy and put us at a severe disadvantage with China. The Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act is an important step in our work to continue reforming the permitting process. It’s time to get the government and frivolous litigation out of the way of the hardworking Americans who want to make America build again," Rep. Yakym concluded.

“Studying the impacts of our policy is the best way to learn how we can solve problems and improve outcomes," said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman. "Congressman Yakym’s Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act will require CEQ to review past projects and publish their findings. Improving transparency around our permitting process is a crucial part of creating and implementing much needed reforms to NEPA, and I'd like to thank Congressman Yakym for his thoughtful work on this issue.”

“The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) applauds Congressman Yakym and Congressman Panetta for their work on H.R. 6129, the Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act,” said NECA Senior Vice President Marco A. Giamberardino. “Current NEPA processes take an average of approximately seven years to receive approval. All too often, NECA contractors are shovel-ready, having already secured adequate financing, but due to the length of the environmental review process, power purchase agreements have fallen apart, land use agreements have timed out, and other challenges prompt the full cancellation of the project. Transparency on agency reviews is an imperative first step and would help identify solutions to provide relief for NECA contractors.”

Other groups supporting Rep. Yakym's legislation are the Associated General Contractors of America, the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Manufacturers.

A one-page summary of Rep. Yakym's Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act legislation is available here.