Regulatory Reform Committee to Hold Hearing on Permit Streamlining

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, April 12, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial & Antitrust Law will hold a hearing on the Permitting Litigation Efficiency Act of 2018 and the North Texas Water Supply Security Act of 2017 (H.R. 4423). These two bills will eliminate bureaucratic delays and reform litigation processes that will allow needed infrastructure projects to be completed in a timely manner. Witnesses will include:

• E. Donald Elliott, Yale Law School, Senior of Counsel, Covington & Burling, LLP; Former General Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency
• William L. Kovacs, Former Senior Vice President for Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Emily Hammond, Associate Dean for Public Engagement, George Washington University Law School
• Mike Rickman, Deputy Director of Operations and Maintenance, North Texas Municipal Water District

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Subcommittee Chairman Tom Marino (R-Pa.)  issued the following statement ahead of the hearing: Chairman Goodlatte: “In order to grow our economy and allow businesses to create more American jobs, we need to continue to streamline the federal permitting process. Previous legislation on this issue has made encouraging progress, but for too many projects permitting remains unnecessarily complicated, entangling infrastructure in a web of red tape and litigation delays. I thank my colleagues, Subcommittee Chairman Marino and Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), for their work on this important legislation, and I look forward to hearing from our esteemed witnesses on how Congress can further streamline the permitting process and boost our economy.” Subcommittee Chairman Marino: “As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antirust Law I am always looking at how we can reduce red tape and regulatory burdens for job creators. My legislation, the Permitting Litigation Efficiency Act, builds upon previous efforts to ensure that environmental reviews are streamlined and do not drag on endlessly. I look forward to hearing from our esteemed panel of experts on their views of my legislation.” This hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.  Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.