The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will vote Wednesday on a sweeping legislative package that includes over a dozen amendments to the Clean Water Act.
Republicans say it would expedite permitting for critical infrastructure like pipelines, ensure timely environmental reviews and reduce frivolous lawsuits. Critics call it an all-out assault on one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws.
The bill targets a slew of environmental reviews and legal processes required under the Clean Water Act that have long been criticized by Republicans.
For example, it would make it harder for states to block major energy projects over water pollution concerns, restricting their oversight under Section 401 of the law only to projects that “directly” cause harm to bodies of water.
