Urgent Need for Permitting Reform to Secure America's Energy Future

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for yielding and the opportunity to spend some time on this program.

Mr. Speaker, today, the gap between rural and urban America has never been wider. As our Nation advances and urban communities flourish, far too often our rural communities, which are the backbone of this country, get left behind.

Collectively, Hoosiers contribute nearly $200 billion to the U.S. economy through our agricultural exports, in spite of the onerous and outdated regulations that limit their growth potential.

Across west central Indiana, our farmers and growers continue to express the same sentiment: We need to cut the red tape that limits our producers and get the Federal Government out of the way.

On average, it takes new solar projects a little over 2 years to receive the necessary Federal permits, over 3 years for electricity transmission projects, and over 4 years for new major road projects.

Based on that timeline, Democrats' goal to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 is totally unrealistic and unobtainable. Their own onerous regulations and broken permitting process will be a death knell for their radical climate goals.

The reality is that the current permitting process is limiting our potential and stifling American energy production.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue. We all stand to benefit when we empower rural America to reach their full potential, and who better than the United States to be the world leader in energy?

Until we get out of our own way, we will continue to cede control to countries like China, which lack any semblance of environmental standards or ethical energy processes.

Passing H.R. 1 is a critical step to achieving our goal of unleashing American energy, and until we take substantive action to cut this red tape, the millions of tax dollars Congress dedicates to improving our country's infrastructure will be squandered.

America's energy independence and rural America's success hinge on our ability to create an efficient and modernized permitting process. It is time for us to get the Federal Government out of the way and give rural America the tools they need to continue feeding and fueling this Nation and the world to the very best of their ability.

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