NAPA endorses bipartisan bill to streamline permitting process
NAPA has endorsed bipartisan piece of legislation in Congress that would streamline project permitting, marking the association’s latest push—following recent support for the SPEED and PERMIT Acts—to advance long-overdue reforms and enable asphalt pavement producers and contractors to do what they do best: build and maintain our nation’s roads.
The Create Expedited Reviews to Transform American Infrastructure Now (CERTAIN) Act, led by Representatives Scott Peters (CA-50), Gabe Evans (CO-08), and a handful of others, would transform the federal permitting process by making environmental reviews faster, more predictable, and less vulnerable to political interference.
“Permitting has long been a challenge for infrastructure owners and builders throughout the nation,” said Mitch Baldwin, Director of Government Affairs. “For decades, we have seen numerous projects stifled by arbitrary environmental reviews and lawsuits, leading to increased costs and endless delays. NAPA welcomes this bipartisan action by Rep. Scott Peters and Rep. Gabe Evans to mitigate unnecessary delays by introducing the CERTAIN Act.”
NAPA is also urging lawmakers to include meaningful permitting reform in this year’s surface transportation reauthorization so states can more swiftly and efficiently use federal funds to strengthen the nation’s transportation network.
“With the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, it is imperative that we pass meaningful permitting reform to ensure our precious highway funding dollars reach their full potential and deliver meaningful road projects for communities across our nation,” Baldwin said.
NAPA looks forward to the House Natural Resources Committee considering the CERTAIN Act and urges the Senate to take action on the PERMIT and SPEED Acts to get them across the finish line and to the president’s desk.