U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) have introduced two bills aimed at reforming the permitting processes for mining and environmental reviews.
Mike Sommers, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API), said he supports the new legislation and believes the bills will benefit the American economy and energy sector.
“Modernizing our permitting process will speed up approvals, create American jobs and enable the faster movement of energy where it is needed most,” Sommers said in a statement. “Thanks to new bills from Senators Barrasso and Capito we are another step closer to bipartisan permitting reform, and we will continue to work with lawmakers to achieve durable reform for the benefit of all Americans.”
Barrasso, who is the ranking minority member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Spur Permitting of Underdeveloped Resources (SPUR) Act with Capito as one of several cosponsors, according to the news release. The bill aims to increase domestic energy and mineral production, keep federal lands open for productive use and speed up the permitting process for energy infrastructure projects, the release said.
“We need to lower prices for American families and unleash American energy. The way to do that is to impose strict deadlines and stop endless litigation. We must also block the administration from hijacking the permitting process to kill worthy projects. Our current system stifles development and undermines American energy security. Americans still know how to build things. Today’s broken process won’t allow it. That must change,” Barrasso said.
Capito, who is the ranking minority member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced the Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act with Barrasso as a cosponsor, according to the release.
“The current permitting and project review process slows the construction of roads and bridges, discourages domestic energy production and minimizes investments made in our nation’s infrastructure, all of which has resulted in fewer jobs and higher prices for Americans,” Capito said.
A House Committee on Natural Resources hearing earlier this year discussed that China "unquestionably" dominates the global supply chains of minerals, both in terms of raw materials and refined products.
New mining projects in the U.S. typically take hundreds of millions of dollars in upfront capital costs and require as long as 10 years to get through the permitting process, a memo on the hearing said. The refining process for the minerals once they have been mined is also lengthy and expensive.
Hardrock minerals—including copper, lithium and cobalt—are critical components in smartphones, laptops, satellites, national defense technology and renewable energy technology such as electric vehicle batteries, according to a hearing memo. The rising demand for renewable energy technology corresponds with an increasing demand for those minerals, which must be mined.
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