Lower Energy Costs Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, I rise to offer an amendment requiring permitting agencies to determine their technology needs and report them to Congress.

Like many of my colleagues across the aisle, I support permitting reforms. We can agree that existing permitting programs are onerous, saddling Americans with rules and regulations that are challenging at best to navigate.

Unfortunately, both parties share some of the blame for creating this mess. It is Congress that has spent decades under-resourcing permitting agencies, a big cause of the backlog we are seeing today.

Congress' infrastructure investments of the last few years are critical for my district and the entire country. Simply funding projects is not enough, though. That is not the goal of recent legislation. Getting projects built is the goal.

Whether it is bridges, broadband, ports, or power lines, making sure that permits are being issued in a consistent and timely manner is key to any project's success.

I want to make clear that ensuring predictability is an important piece of the permitting puzzle, one often left out of the discussion. When someone is applying for permits, potential approval or disapproval shouldn't be at the whims of whoever is reviewing their application. Using new technology to improve consistency can help provide the certainty that businesses crave to pursue critical projects in the first place.

These reforms can't continue to help big businesses beat out our small businesses. The endless red tape involved in getting permits is a major burden for small businesses.

In sector after sector of our economy, market consolidation is squeezing America's small businesses and harming consumers. A business of five employees should be on a level playing field with a business of 5,000 employees when it comes to navigating the permitting system. Ensuring that predictability is one way permitting programs can work better for small businesses.

Right now we don't even know what resources permitting agencies need, and that is why the provision in H.R. 1 that agencies assess their staffing needs and report them to Congress is so important. My amendment simply extends that requirement to cover technology, as well.

Technology, we all know, is changing so fast right now, and giving permitting agencies better tools can help on so many fronts. New software, including programs using machine learning, can better coordinate simultaneous application reviews by agencies, it can improve agencies' communication with applicants so they can know where their permits are in the process and any additional material that may be needed for certification.

New technology can improve predictability and timely review. This is a straightforward measure that would help make the government work the way it ought to.

Congress needs to make sure that permitting agencies have the staff, technology, and resources to issue permits and expand permitting capacity.

I am proud to offer this amendment to ensure agencies' technology needs are met, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing, Madam Chair, this reporting requirement is important for making sure permitting agencies work right. Making sure agencies have the technology they need will improve processes, reduce compliance costs, and speed up permitting.

The whole amendment is just 10 pages. It is a straightforward, good- government provision.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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