The House on Monday passed a bill that would ease permitting laws to help construct semiconductor factories. The bipartisan measure now heads to the president’s desk.
S. 2228, the “Building Chips in America Act of 2023,” passed 257-125. It would exempt from environmental review certain chips plants at a time when lawmakers in both parties want to increase U.S. competitiveness over Asia.
The bill is “fundamentally about competitive and national security,” said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent last year. It’s sponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whose home states have seen a surge of investment after Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022.
