Momentum Increases For Permitting Reform

House Republicans are preparing use their flagship energy package (HR1) as a tool to attack Democrat energy policies which they claim have led to higher energy costs and undermined national security. Although the majority of the package will be blocked by the Democrat-controlled Senate, Republicans believe there is bipartisan support for permitting reform and repealing the National Environmental Policy Act.

• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told WaPo this week that President Biden, "is 100% supportive of speeding up permitting," and said it can be done, "without sacrificing the goals behind [NEPA]."
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA): “There’s a lot of interest on both sides of the aisle of getting permitting reform and it’s one of the big things that is holding back our ability to produce more American energy."
• Scalise hinted at the importance of the package for GOP messaging: “[HR1] comes out of the House, then I think people are going to start asking questions to their senators whether or not they would support this bill and they’re going to see that it would lower energy costs and allow us to make more things in America.”