Should the EPA be forced to adopt a more efficient, but less stringent, process for obtaining permits?

Environment and Energy
Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act (H.R. 7023)
This bill has Passed the House of Representatives
Bill Summary

H.R. 7023 seeks to modernize federal processes for businesses wanting to obtain certain permits by streamlining the application and inspection process and codifying rules that previously existed only informally. Critics note that the bill achieves its goals by removing certain contaminant requirements and kneecapping the EPA’s ability to enforce clean water regulations, potentially contaminating local wildlife and threatening nearby wildlife. Sponsor: Rep. David Rouzer (Republican, North Carolina, District 7)
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Opponents say

•      "This bill significantly restricts U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) oversight and regulatory authorities under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Clean Water Act, enacted over 50 years ago, is the nation’s bedrock environmental law for ‘restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters’ and water resources. However, the changes in H.R. 7023 defy the overarching intent of the Clean Water Act and gut the independent authority of both agencies to ensure that projects and activities are carried out with only minimal impacts to water resources. This partisan bill weakens CWA protections while providing exemptions, legal shields, and limited oversight for special interests, polluters, and large-scale projects that demand higher scrutiny." Source: Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 


•      "H.R. 7023, Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, introduced by Rep. Rouzer (NC), would limit EPA’s ability to issue water quality standards, protect industrial polluters from responsibility for discharging dangerous pollutants, eliminate EPA’s authority to permanently veto a project, and minimizing (sic) review of large and potentially harmful projects." Source: Reps. Rick Larsen, Donald Payne, Jr, and Greg Stanton in a Joint Statement

Proponents say

•      "As Chairman of the Subcommittee, I have enjoyed leading my colleagues in our work to reduce red tape and deliver on permitting reform… Time is money, and ensuring important infrastructure and energy development projects do not become stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire is vital to addressing supply chain challenges and promoting commerce.  Together, the policy solutions passed out of the full committee today include targeted, commonsense reforms to make regulations simple to understand and easy to follow, which has the added benefit of making them easier to enforce.  In doing so we can keep projects on time as well as on budget, all while maintaining our nation's clean water infrastructure." Source: Rep. David Rouzer (Republican, North Carolina, District 7) 


•      "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ NWP program has been an essential component of modernizing natural gas infrastructure networks since its inception under the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404, allowing streamlined reviews of discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S. when effects to the aquatic environment from those discharges are no more than minimal. When the discharge activities meet these specific criteria, NWPs allow the applicant to utilize general permits rather than pursuing the more cumbersome process of obtaining an individual permit… H.R. 7023 would reaffirm the NWP program for linear infrastructure by codifying longstanding, historical Corps interpretation and practice and by extending the period of reissuance for general permit holders from five to ten years. The measure would clearly define discharge activities within the Corps’ CWA Section 404 authority, which facilitates the Corps’ effective administration of the NWP program. Furthermore, H.R. 7023 stipulates that for the reissuance of NWPs, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements shall be satisfied by preparing an environmental assessment and confirms, consistent with past Army Corps practice, that Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation is not required." Source: Natural Gas Council 


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