Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) write in Time about the need to modernize permitting.
- While Congress has appropriated record funding for clean energy projects in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), much of this funding will fail to make meaningful climate progress without permitting reform.
- A Princeton University study estimates that 80% of the emissions reduction potential under the IRA will be missed unless the United States is able rapidly build out its transmission network.
- The permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) slows down project by an average of 4.5 years, costing developers millions of dollars.
- In order to bolster energy security, keep costs low for consumers, and accelerate innovation and climate progress, the U.S. must modernize its permitting system.
“Let us be clear: the goal is not to undermine environmental standards, but to dramatically accelerate the process. That means single agency responsibility, enforceable deadlines for administrative action, and expedited public input and review.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
