Herrell Introduces Legislation to Speed Up Environmental Reviews for Federal Projects

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Yvette Herrell introduced legislation to provide greater certainty to the federal permitting process for energy development, forest management, and building of critical infrastructure. Her legislation will set a 2 year time-frame for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews on federal projects, which under current law can take over a decade.

"For too long, projects that will improve the lives of my constituents--and in some cases, save their lives--have been unnecessarily delayed by federal bureaucracy," said Rep. Herrell. "By placing an explicit timeline for NEPA reviews, New Mexico businesses who must go through the NEPA process will have the certainty that they need to embark on projects that better the lives of New Mexicans."

"It's unacceptable that Democrats have allowed extremist groups to hijack NEPA to the point that it's now used as a weapon against critical energy infrastructure," said Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee. "Congresswoman Herrell's legislation will provide certainty for project proponents without bypassing the permitting process. We need an all-of-the-above energy approach to keep costs down for American families and this legislation is a key part of those solutions."

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