{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-colleagues-introduce-comprehensive-regulatory-and-permitting-reform-legislation/", "Young, Colleagues Introduce Comprehensive Regulatory and Permitting Reform Legislation", "2022-09-13", "2022", "2022-09", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and 37 senators recently introduced the Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act. The bill would allow for comprehensive federal regulatory permitting and project review reform.\n\n\u201cPermitting delays, regulatory inefficiencies, and red tape are all reasons why our nation\u2019s energy infrastructure \u2013 from renewable energy to fossil fuel projects \u2013 are stuck in limbo,\u201d said Senator Young. \u201cAt a time when advancing our domestic energy security is vitally important, the START Act is a much-needed step to reduce self-imposed barriers and provide certainty for our supply chains.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince our calls for action and offers to see legislative text from the permitting \u2018deal\u2019 remain unheeded, Republicans are introducing this legislation today to deliver solutions to the roadblocks, delays, and postponements of key infrastructure projects across the country,\u201d said Ranking Member Capito. \u201cThe START Act would provide regulatory certainty to states, expedite permitting and review processes, codify substantive environmental regulatory reforms, and expedite permitting of the critically important Mountain Valley Pipeline. Republicans are unified in working to deliver needed permitting reform, and this legislation is a blueprint for how we can help communities benefit from being able to finally get critical projects across the finish line.\u201d\n\nCosponsors of the legislation include U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here.\n\nA section by section summary can be found here and below.\n\nBILL DETAILS:\n\nSection 2 \u2013 Codification of NEPA Regulations\n\nCodifies the Trump Administration\u2019s modernized National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations.\n\nSection 3 \u2013 Providing Regulatory Certainty\n\nCodifies the Trump Administration\u2019s Navigable Waters Protection Rule\u2019s definition of \u201cwaters of the United States\u201d under the Clean Water Act.\n\nCodifies the Trump Administration\u2019s Section 401 Certification Rule under the Clean Water Act to prevent state actions that unreasonably block energy projects.\n\nCodifies Nationwide Permits issued in 2021 that streamline Section 404 permitting for the development of critical energy projects and other activities under the Clean Water Act.\n\nLengthens the available approval term of permits issued under delegated state water permit programs from 5 to 10 years.\n\nSection 4 \u2013 Limiting New Red Tape and Costs for Gasoline and Other Fuels\n\nProhibits the use and adoption of the Biden Administration\u2019s interim estimates for the \u201csocial cost of greenhouse gases\u201d and any other estimates that may raise gasoline prices.\n\nSection 5 \u2013 Expediting Permitting and Review Processes\n\nCodifies key elements of the One Federal Decision framework for energy projects, including timely approvals for projects, permitting review schedules for projects that are no longer than two years, and limitations on the page length of environmental documents.\n\nProvides litigation certainty on the timing of judicial challenges to energy project approvals.\n\nAllows agencies to share and use one another\u2019s categorical exclusions for energy projects under NEPA.\n\nSection 6 \u2013 States\u2019 Authorities in Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations\n\nGrants states the sole authority to promulgate or enforce any regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing on or under any land within their boundaries.\n\nClarifies that the exclusivity of this regulation applies to all federal lands located in the state.\n\nSection 7 \u2013 Federal Lands Freedom Act\n\nGrants states the right to develop energy resources on the federal lands located within their borders. This section gives states the ability to proactively and responsibly develop energy on federal lands.\n\nAllows a state to develop a regulatory program governing the leasing and permitting of energy activities on its federal land.\n\nSection 8 \u2013 Expedited Approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline\n\nExpedites the approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project within 21 days of enactment. This section paves the way for another American energy revolution by taking concrete steps to buck the policies that are holding American energy producers back to the benefit of hostile regimes with inferior environmental standards.\n\nSection 9 \u2013 Reducing Timeframes for Endangered Species Act Consultations\n\nReforms the Section 7 consultation process under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by shortening consultation timelines from 90 to 60 days.\n\nAlso shortens thresholds for ending or extending consultation times from 150 to 100 days. This section reforms a well-known roadblock to efficient permitting.\n\nSection 10 \u2013 New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act\n\nReforms the New Source Review (NSR) program under the Clean Air Act. This environmental regulation actually prevents industry from making upgrades to existing facilities to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Provides greater regulatory certainty about when facility upgrades require a permit.\n\nSection 11 \u2013 No Retroactive Permit Vetoes\n\nClarifies existing law to promote timely and thorough consideration of Clean Water Act Section 404 permits, and eliminates unfair and confusing permitting actions in order to support domestic energy production.\n\nSection 12 \u2013 Policy Review under the Clean Air Act\n\nStrikes the statutory mandate under the Clean Air Act Section 309 that EPA review and comment on newly authorized federal projects for construction or any major federal action that falls under NEPA for environmental review as well as agency regulations.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:29:59Z"]], "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://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-colleagues-introduce-comprehensive-regulatory-and-permitting-reform-legislation/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.474718563258648, "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"}