A bipartisan House caucus released a sweeping permitting package Thursday, recycling some well-worn ideas to ease the federal process for massive infrastructure projects like pipelines and transmission lines.
Led by the caucus’ energy working group heads, Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), the framework outlines a plan to set deadlines, reduce litigation and accelerate reviews for projects.
“It’s a big step to have our caucus, which is a pretty significant number of Republicans and Democrats, sign on to a pretty detailed set of policy principles,” Peters said, adding that for seven months he and Evans have been working together.
For years, permitting discussions have inched forward, but bipartisan legislation has failed. While Republicans have long wanted to rework environmental laws for projects of all kinds, including pipelines, Democrats see transmission lines as the key to unleashing more clean energy. Now, some old players — and many new ones — say they want to move legislation by the end of the year.
