{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnsons-bipartisan-digital-permitting-bill-passes-us-house", "Johnson\u2019s Bipartisan Digital Permitting Bill Passes U.S. House", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Dusty Johnson", "J000301", "dustyjohnson.house.gov", "dustyjohnson", "https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, the ePermit Act, led by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Scott Peters (D-CA) passed the House unanimously. The ePermit Act will codify President Trump\u2019s Action Plan to modernize permitting technology across the federal government, reducing processing time for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.\n\nClick here for Johnson\u2019s floor remarks\n\n\u201cIt has become harder and harder to get any big project done in America,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThe same road project that can get approved in Germany in six months takes six years in America. America is full of innovators, creators, and builders. It\u2019s time we let them build again, fueling economic growth and unlocking domestic energy production. I\u2019m grateful the ePermit Act passed the House, and I hope the Senate acts soon so this can be the law of the land.\u201d\n\n\u201cPassing this bill out of the House represents a major breakthrough in our effort to finally modernize an outdated permitting system,\u201d saidPeters. \u201cToday\u2019s progress is a clear sign that Congress can still come together to solve real problems; let\u2019s build on this momentum, digitize the permitting process, cut needless delays, and get this bill across the finish line.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe ePermit Act modernizes an outdated system and establishes a streamlined, electronic permitting framework that will reduce red tape and increase efficiency across federal agencies,\u201d said Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR). By transitioning to digital permitting, we can cut down on delays, enhance coordination and provide applicants with clearer, more predictable timelines. I applaud Representative Johnson for leading this bipartisan effort to bring permitting into the 21st century.\u201d\n\n\u201cModernizing the environmental review and permitting process will enable the United States to meet critical infrastructure needs, secure affordable and reliable energy, and fuel economic growth,\u201d saidKatherine Scarlett, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality. \u201cThe administration welcomes congressional action to leverage technology to accelerate and simplify the permitting process across the Federal government, building on the accomplishments set in motion by President Trump\u2019s Memorandum Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century \u2013 such as CEQ\u2019s Permitting Technology Action Plan.\u201d\n\n\u201cTechnology and transparency are key pieces of meaningful permitting reform to let America build,\u201d saidJeremy Harrell, CEO, ClearPath Action. \u201cToday\u2019s House vote reiterates bipartisan support for streamlining reviews in a way that balances speed and safety. We look forward to the Senate taking up the ePermit Act this Congress.\u201d\n\n\u201cNAHB urges House passage of the ePermit Act, introduced by Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Scott Peters (D-CA),\u201d said Buddy Hughes, Chairman,National Association of Home Builders. \u201cThis legislation would address housing affordability challenges by improving and expediting the environmental review and permitting processes. Permitting roadblocks delay housing projects and raise construction costs. The ePermit Act will bring clarity, efficiency, and certainty to the permitting process by requiring the use of electronic permitting platforms.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that the current permitting process remains a major barrier to deploying the projects needed to secure America\u2019s energy and environmental future,\u201d said Chris Barnard, President, American Conservation Coalition Action. \u201cBy embracing today\u2019s technology, we can modernize the permitting system and accelerate project approvals through greater efficiency and transparency. The American Conservation Coalition Action and its members across the country commend this effort to bring environmental review into the 21st century.\"\n\n\u201cThe American Council of Engineering Companies, the business voice of the nation\u2019s engineering industry, supports passage of H.R. 4503, the ePermit Act and applauds Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Scott Peters (D-CA) for their leadership on this important bipartisan legislation. The ePermit Act will modernize how federal agencies use technology to facilitate more efficient and timely federal permitting decisions. If passed, the bill will help to cut red tape by enhancing transparency, improving stakeholder engagement, and facilitating efficient interagency collaboration.\u201d\n\nJohnson introduced the ePermit Act in July. The House Natural Resources Committee passed the legislation in November.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe current permitting process has failed to ensure project permitting is on-time and on-task. Oftentimes, the root causes of delays in the environmental review process have little to do with questions about environmental protection and a lot to do with failure to embrace modern technology and move on from legacy bureaucratic approaches, like paper forms.\n\nCongress must address the root causes for delays, which include compiling and reviewing lengthy paper documents, a lack of accessibility and transparency \u2013 leading to misunderstanding, conflicts, and all too often, protracted litigation \u2013 and continued reliance on outdated technologies and processes for interagency review and comment.\n\nThe ePermit Act would address these root causes by establishing a framework for agencies to implement a digital permitting system and unified portal.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnsons-bipartisan-digital-permitting-bill-passes-us-house"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7257598917931318, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}