The Chamber of Commerce slammed the Biden administration Friday for proposing changes to federal permitting requirements that weren’t originally in the debt limit deal organized between the White House and House Republicans, arguing that the changes would further delay project approvals and calling it a “step in the wrong direction.”
The proposed changes, which update the National Environmental Policy Act, would include climate and equity factors that rewrite how federal agencies execute reviews.
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Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Policy Marty Durbin said the permitting process was "already overly complicated" and that the new rule could further risk delaying project approvals “for nearly $2 trillion in public investments.”
“The permitting process is already overcomplicated, takes too long, and allows for endless legal challenges,” Durbin said in a statement. “That’s why it takes an average of 4.5 years to get a federal permit through NEPA, with many projects taking far longer. Some projects never see the light of day because of permitting roadblocks. As a result, we’re missing out on opportunities to make America’s transportation systems more efficient and resilient, improve communications infrastructure to bridge the digital divide, and build energy projects necessary to meet environmental and energy security goals.”
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The Biden administration on Friday released a proposed rule to enact the changes that Congress ordered for federal permitting requirements in last month’s bipartisan debt limit deal, but it also included provisions that were not originally in the legislation. The additional changes center on the ways federal agencies execute reviews under NEPA, such as directing agencies to consider the effects of climate change on projects and to consider environmental justice by encouraging agencies to evaluate the cumulative effects of pollution on communities of color and low-income residents.
The business organization’s statement represents what’s expected to be a wave of criticism from conservatives and Republicans who have been pushing for permitting reform to speed up the development of fossil fuel projects. Permitting reform would also have a hand in enabling the faster building of clean energy infrastructure projects. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) helped to include permitting reform, along with measures to expedite construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, into the debt limit deal negotiated between the White House and House Republicans, which was signed into law last month.