EEIA Infrastructure Permitting Reform Campaign Begins in Earnest
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to remove the roadblocks to energy infrastructure development took flight on March 15 with the introduction of H.R. 1 - The Lower Energy Costs Act - in the U.S. House of Representatives. The designation of H.R. 1 means this is Speaker McCarthy's top priority for this session of Congress.
H.R. 1's purpose is "increasing the production and export of American energy and reducing the regulatory burdens that make it harder to build American infrastructure and grow our economy". The bill melds together over 20 previously separate legislative measures designed to remove permitting roadblocks to oil, gas and renewable energy production, pipeline and powerline construction, critical minerals mining and processing, energy refining and export infrastructure.
EEIA is one of the first associations to sign on as an organizational supporter of the bill. In addition to our own letters of support, we are coordinating a multi-association sign-on support letter and are setting up a platform for members to submit individual letters of support to their legislators. EEIA's Executive Committee is flying into Washington next week to meet with leaders in both the House and Senate to develop strategy to help move the bill through the House in the next couple weeks, and then through the Senate once it passes the House.
This is the biggest opportunity our sector has had in years to make significant progress in removing barriers to energy infrastructure development. We will encounter strong opposition - already organizing. We will also need bi-partisan support, especially in the Senate where 60 votes are needed. The supporting voices of businesses and workers of the energy infrastructure community - meaning yours - will be crucial and decisive in this debate.
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