Johnson’s Permitting Reform Provision Passes Transportation Committee

Washington, D.C. – Today, legislation with a provision by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) to modernize the environmental review process under the Clean Water Act passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 34-30. 

“Clean water is essential for economic growth, but the Clean Water Act imposes overly burdensome regulations and America’s permitting process is slow and antiquated,” said Johnson. “My provision encourages states and localities to utilize an online dashboard to increase transparency and collaboration during these environmental reviews, all while improving efficiency.”

“Thanks to the reforms proposed by Congressman Johnson, this legislation will improve federal and state coordination, make the permitting process more efficient, and help ensure that infrastructure projects get done in a more timely manner. I commend him for his common-sense contribution to this bill and his leadership on this issue,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).

Johnson’s provision encourages states to coordinate with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) on the status of permit applications and requests for certification under the Clean Water Act, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and dredge and fill permits.

Background: 

• Johnson’s provision encourages states, especially those with delegated permitting authorities, to engage with and utilize Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s (FPISC) online permitting dashboard program for Clean Water Act authorities, which they administer to improve permitting efficiencies and increase project completions.
• FPISC was established in 2015 as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to bring together relevant federal agencies tasked with environmental review and authorizations to improve coordination and efficiency.
• FPISC administers an online dashboard that allows federal agencies, project developers, and members of the public to track the federal government’s environmental review processes for large or complex infrastructure projects.
• FPISC currently has the authority to work with states, local governments, and tribal governments if there is an ongoing environmental review and state approval or review is required.
• Because the Clean Water Act is predicated on the principle of cooperative federalism, states play a primary role in many of the Clean Water Act permitting processes. 

Click here for more information on the Committee’s markup.