[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 123 (Thursday, July 17, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H3373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FIX BROKEN PERMITTING AND REGULATORY LAWS

  (Mr. WESTERMAN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to shed light on the broken 
permitting process that creates roadblocks to unleashing American 
innovation and development while costing more taxpayer dollars with 
basically nothing to show for the expenses.
  The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 attempted to change course and 
imposed a 2-year deadline and a 150-page cap on environmental impact 
statements. However, the Council on Environmental Quality reports that 
61 percent of environmental impact statements still take over 2 years 
to complete.
  The other two branches of government are taking actions to inject 
some regulatory common sense into the process. President Trump's 
``Unleashing American Energy'' executive order directs Federal agencies 
to confine NEPA analysis to applicable law, and in May, the Supreme 
Court ruled unanimously on narrowing the scope of NEPA.
  It is time for Congress to take bipartisan, bicameral action to fix 
the broken permitting and regulatory laws so that America can thrive.

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