Portman and McCaskill Federal Permitting Bill Passes the Senate

Press Release

U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) announced that their Federal Permitting Improvement Act of 2015 passed the Senate as part of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act. Portman and McCaskill's bipartisan legislation is designed to streamline and improve the federal permitting process, which is currently laden with uncertainty and unpredictability that hinders investment, economic growth, and job creation. It is modeled on the commonsense, bipartisan permit-streamlining reforms of the 2006 and 2012 transportation bills and recommendations from the President's Jobs Council, as well as other studies.

"Today we took an important step toward getting many major job-creating projects underway," Portman stated. "By streamlining the federal permitting process, our bill will help promote expansion, economic growth, and the hiring of American workers right here at home. I'm pleased that it has passed the Senate, and urge my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this job-creating legislation."

"Infrastructure projects create good-paying jobs," McCaskill said. "Businesses and employers shouldn't have to go through unnecessarily bureaucratic or duplicative requirements that can delay these important investments we need for our country's future. That's why streamlining the permitting process and eliminating unnecessary red tape is so important to job growth in Missouri and across the country, and I'm glad this commonsense bill is one step closer to the finish line."

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