[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5729-H5731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ELECTRONIC PERMITTING MODERNIZATION ACT

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5509) to modernize permitting systems at the Department of 
the Interior, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5509

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Electronic Permitting 
     Modernization Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PERMIT ACCESSIBILITY.

       (a) In General.--In order to improve the overall economy, 
     efficiency, and management of operations and activities of 
     the Department of the Interior (referred to in this section 
     as the ``Department''), reduce paperwork, and provide high-
     quality services and access to the public, the Secretary of 
     the Interior shall, to the extent practicable--

[[Page H5730]]

       (1) design and deliver modernized electronic permitting 
     systems to accept, process, and record applications 
     (including plan submissions, payment activity, and other 
     related correspondence) for permits, forms, and other 
     paperwork required for activities regulated by the 
     Department;
       (2) provide a centralized electronic permitting system 
     online repository, available to the public on the 
     Department's website, that includes--
       (A) hyperlinks to facilitate navigation to all Department 
     electronic permitting systems; and
       (B) with respect to permits, the contact information for 
     the appropriate Department employees providing assistance to 
     State, Tribal, and local governments; and
       (3) provide to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources of the Senate periodic updates on the 
     implementation of paragraphs (1) and (2).
       (b) Disclosure of Information Prohibited.--No information 
     described in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code, 
     or protected from disclosure by another law of the United 
     States shall be disclosed under this Act.
       (c) Duplication of Systems Not Permitted.--No system shall 
     be duplicated under this Act.
       (d) Consultation.--In developing the permitting systems 
     required under section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of the 
     Interior shall consult with States, local governments, Indian 
     Tribes and other stakeholders who apply for agency permits 
     and will use the permitting systems.

     SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY WITH THE 
                   FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2023.

        In developing the permitting systems required under 
     section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
     ensure that the Department's electronic permitting systems 
     are consistent with the priorities identified in section 110 
     of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
     4336d) with respect to any permit that requires review under 
     that Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-
Cortez) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5509, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Representative Porter's bipartisan legislation directs 
the Secretary of the Interior to design and deliver electronic 
permitting systems for permits, forms, and other required paperwork to 
the extent practical.
  Republicans have long supported streamlining and simplifying the 
permitting process. Additionally, the minority worked with us to 
address a concern raised with the legislation and how it would interact 
with recent changes to NEPA enacted under the Fiscal Responsibility 
Act.
  These discussions led to changes to Ms. Porter's legislation to 
clarify that any permitting system related to NEPA be consistent with 
the priorities identified in the FRA's NEPA provision.
  This legislation aims to streamline the management of operations of 
the Department of the Interior, improving access to our public lands 
and Department facilities.
  Modernizing the permitting process is an overdue task needed to 
increase departmental efficiency and improve transparency.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my colleague Representative 
Porter's bill, the Electronic Permitting Modernization Act.
  This legislation would codify parts of a Biden executive order that 
improves the navigability of the Federal Government's permitting 
process, and the bill would require the Department of the Interior to 
design and deliver a modernized electronic permitting system.
  Permitting reform has been a popular topic this Congress in the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and on this topic, it is rare that we 
can achieve a bipartisan win, but we can all be for bringing the 
Federal permitting system into the 21st century.
  That is why this bill would require the Department of the Interior to 
provide a centralized online repository on its website for public 
access to its electronic permitting system. It would also make easily 
available the contact information of the appropriate Department of the 
Interior employees who can assist State, Tribal, and local governments 
with permit applications.
  These changes will make the lives of our constituents easier by 
simplifying the process of applying for a permit.
  We know that we can make permitting more efficient. We can speed up 
processing times, and we can improve transparency for everyone 
involved, all without sacrificing community engagement or environmental 
protections.
  From my district in the Bronx and Queens to across the American West, 
Americans are all too familiar with the legacy of sacrifice zones. 
Having online options for DOI permits is a commonsense solution to a 
part of an important issue that we all care about.
  This bill also requires the Department of the Interior to provide 
periodic updates to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which 
will allow us to continue to monitor and upgrade our permitting 
processes.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Representative Porter's Electronic 
Permitting Modernization Act, and I urge the House to approve it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa).
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the effort of my colleague 
from the OC in bringing this forward.
  Really, it is about simplicity. It is about streamlining a process 
for people who are just seeking to engage in a process that requires 
paperwork, permits, and forms. Why would we not make that easier for 
them?
  With all the different interests and needs that we could have, 
especially in our rural lands--parks, public lands, and the 
recreational users of those--the Electronic Permitting Modernization 
Act creates a simple online website to get and complete any necessary 
permits.
  On the other hand, when businesses are interested in raising, 
logging, mining, or anything else, they will be able to find any 
approval documents or applications on a single web page, one-stop 
shopping.
  I am happy that we can make it a little bit easier because, for my 
farming business and me, sometimes it is hard to get to the forms you 
need and get the stuff done. That is frustrating because all you want 
to do is get back to what you are doing there to begin with.
  This bill actually builds off some of the work we completed last year 
with the Fiscal Responsibility Act by further directing Federal 
agencies under the Department of the Interior to provide electronic 
means to complete any required documentation.
  This is a good step to make it simpler to get the work done. I hope 
it is not an excuse to create more permits and more paperwork, but this 
is a great way to help out with people who are just seeking to get 
their work done.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5509, and I 
appreciate the bipartisan effort on this.
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume 
to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter), the sponsor of the 
bill.
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or 
Independent, we all benefit when the government works the way it is 
supposed to.
  A 21st century nation deserves a 21st century government. The problem 
is too many Federal agencies still rely on outdated systems not 
designed for the people they serve. This leaves people looking for help 
stuck in a tangled web of confusing application processes, clunky 
government websites, and poor customer support. Long delays and 
processing times often follow, adding to the frustration our 
constituents feel.
  It is why so many of them turn to us, their Member of Congress, for 
help. Our casework teams work hard every day to cut through the red 
tape, but it shouldn't have to come to that.
  When we fail to modernize our way of government, we are wasting tax 
dollars

[[Page H5731]]

on inefficiency, but there is something we can do today with this bill 
to make government applications easier to find and simpler to submit 
and process.
  Congress can pass the Electronic Permitting Modernization Act, which 
I lead with my good friend across the aisle, Representative Doug 
LaMalfa.
  This commonsense bill encourages the Department of the Interior to 
offer an online option for as many of its permits as possible. It 
creates a web page where our constituents can find links to the 
Department's online permits. Then, it would task the Department of the 
Interior to report back to Congress periodically on its progress toward 
electronic permitting.
  These simple steps are no-brainers, but they are necessary to keep 
our government on track and to make the permitting process work for all 
users.
  Creating an online option for more permits will make permitting 
easier for everyone, not just the applicant. It will reduce the amount 
of paperwork mailed to the agency, speed up processing times, and 
finally help bring our government into the 21st century.
  At the same time, this bill would help Congress hold the Department 
of the Interior accountable for its work. With this bill, we could more 
easily see which bureaus are getting things done here with us in the 
21st century and which bureaus are still having workers sitting in 
windowless rooms, opening envelopes with paper checks and forms in 
triplicate.
  What matters the most about this bill is that it improves the daily 
lives of the people we serve.
  Look, I am a single mom with three kids. When your life is anything 
like mine, you just want things that you expect to be easy to actually 
be easy. Let's be clear: It should be easy to find and apply for a 
permit to comply with the law.
  Let's simplify people's lives just a little bit. Let's show them that 
this part of government using their public lands works efficiently.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my co-lead, Representative LaMalfa, as 
well as Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and their staff 
for their work on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Electronic 
Permitting Modernization Act.
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government is long overdue in 
doing the work needed to bring its permitting processes into the 21st 
century. The bill before us instructs the Secretary to create an 
electronic permitting system to accept, process, and record 
applications for any permitting process under the Department's 
jurisdiction.
  Mr. Speaker, even though the gentlewoman from California opposed my 
commonsense, straightforward forestry bill earlier today, I do 
recognize, commend, and support Representative Porter for her work on 
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5509, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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