Happy Thursday!
Did anyone read The Houston Chronicle on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 called, “Coalition closing in on deal to overhaul permits”? The article is about how moderate Republicans and Democrats are working together to give the federal permitting process a makeover to speed up the process for infrastructure projects like power transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, and broadband networks. This bipartisan group say in the coming months ahead they will be holding hearings to help them make the federal permitting process faster, but still following the National Environmental Policy Act which was enacted in the 70s. The latest infrastructure project 700-mile Trans West power line has taken 18 years to go through the permitting process. With the current demand for energy this isn’t an acceptable amount of time. Countries like Canada and Australia have a review process that is much faster and still protects communities and the environment. Even though the bipartisan groups for the Senate and Congress want to speed up the process will they have the votes to push it through which has proven to be a monumental feat in the past. We wish them luck on finding the common ground! If you would like to read the article, please check out The Houston Chronicle.
If you would like to read the article from The Houston Chronicle, please click the link: Republicans,Democrats report progress on permitting reform (houstonchronicle.com)
Don’t forget to check out our ESC's website or contact us via the email in the blog, if you have a project you would like to see get off the ground!
We hope you have a great night!
*Disclaimer – please note there may be a fee involved to see this article in The Houston Chronicle.