GOP Chairman Behind House Permitting Bill Warns ‘We’re Running Out Of Time’ As Senate Vote Likely Slips To November

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, cautioned that Congress is losing its window to overhaul federal permitting rules, even as Senate negotiations appear poised to drag into the post-election lame-duck session. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who is helping lead the Senate talks, told reporters negotiators have cleared the major sticking points and expect text soon, but suggested floor action won't come until after the November midterms. West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said a bipartisan agreement already exists but that Democrats stepped back from it in favor of waiting, a delay she called unpredictable, according to Daily Caller.

Westerman's own legislation, the SPEED Act, passed the House 221-196 in December with backing from Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden; it would impose deadlines on environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act and curb lawsuits over approved projects. It has stalled in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee since then and would need 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

Speaking on the Republican Study Committee's podcast with host Rep. Pete Stauber, a Minnesota Republican and bill cosponsor, Westerman argued current law lets opponents sue for up to six years after a project's approval, citing the canceled Keystone XL pipeline as an example of wasted investment. He also said the U.S. now trails China in copper production and relies on it for most processed critical minerals, leaving other countries to set the prices Americans pay.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →