Permitting Reform Proposals Will Exacerbate Current Energy Affordability Crisis
House is set to vote on a series of bills that will gut fossil fuel, mining, and electric utility protections, ending key promotions for consumers and the environment
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Republican package of legislation that will bypass key protections for communities, consumers, and the environment will be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives before the end of the week. The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act or the SPEED Act, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, the Reliable Power Act, and Power Plant Reliability Act all contain provisions aimed at removing safeguards from the federal permitting process.
In response, David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement:
“The proposals set to pass the House under the guise of ‘bipartisan permitting reform’ are blatant handouts to the fossil fuel and mining industries. They would remove or weaken rules that protect Americans’ access to clean water and air while doing nothing to help American families facing staggering energy costs and an escalating climate crisis.
“We need real action to lower energy bills for American families and combat the climate crisis. The best policy response would be to fast-track a buildout of renewable energy, storage, and transmission—an approach that would not just make energy more affordable and sustainable, but create U.S. jobs and bolster competitiveness with China, which is rapidly outpacing the U.S. on the energy technologies of the future.
“Instead, congressional Republicans and Trump are shamefully pushing legislation that would only exacerbate the energy affordability crisis and further entrench the dirty, dangerous, and unaffordable energy of the past.”
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