House Natural Resources Committee lawmakers are poised to spar this week over a new Republican proposal to overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act, part of the ongoing battle over speeding up permitting for energy infrastructure.
The draft legislation, unveiled last week by Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), aims to speed up or avoid NEPA scrutiny for projects by raising the threshold that triggers environmental reviews, limiting the scope of reviews and handicapping legal challenges.
One provision, according to a fact sheet, “is aimed at ensuring that projects are not unnecessarily halted by frivolous legal challenges unless significant harm is demonstrated.”
The bill comes on a parallel track to permitting legislation being pushed in the Senate by Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), S.4753, which received bipartisan support in a committee markup.
