Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) hosted a forum titled, “Permitting Reform: Unleashing American Energy and the Path Forward.” The forum featured House Natural Resources Committee Chair and Western Caucus Vice Chair Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Western Caucus Member Harriet Hageman (WY-AL).

“Time and again, I hear from my constituents in Central Washington—and in folks in rural communities across America—that we need to cut red tape and get the federal government out of the way of the American people,” said Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). “Permitting reform is needed to unlock America’s potential—from energy infrastructure, to land management and conservation, and more. While millions of taxpayer dollars were recently allocated with the intent to upgrade our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, it is worthless unless we find solutions to streamline this outdated, and, frankly, out-of-control, process and break ground.”

“This is the most important issue facing our country,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chair and Western Caucus Vice Chair Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “If we look at high inflation, if we look at national security, if we look at future economic development, it all starts with energy.”

“What I often tell our energy companies, is thank you for making our lives better, because that is what you do for every single person in this country,” said Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY-AL). “Americans are suffering through high inflation, foreign energy dependence, and energy poverty. The Biden Administration continues to disengage with our interests all in the name of pursuing a radical, unrealistic, unachievable, and draconian Green New Deal Agenda, and these efforts have prevented America from unleashing her domestic energy potential, resulting in a more faulty, unreliable energy grid, higher costs, and a worse standard of living.”

These Members heard from industry experts across the United States who highlighted the importance of reforming our broken down, burdensome permitting process to unleash American energy and allow our economy to thrive once more.

• Mr. Randall Atkins, CEO of Ramaco
• Mr. JC Sandberg, CAO of America Clean Power
• Mr. Tom Jorden, CEO of Coterra Energy

“We have a problem in this country, which I believe provisions of H.R. 1, such as the COAL Act, the BUILDER Act, and the Transparency in Production Act, will go a long way toward addressing,” said Mr. Randall Atkins. “With over $6 trillion worth of mineral resources in the United States, including coal, it is essential that new and existing mining projects are permitted with clarity, an absence of interference from national activist groups, and in a time-limited fashion. We need this definition in order to maintain and expand our nation’s—and the world’s—ever-increasing mineral demand for electricity, infrastructure, and manufacturing.”

The successful deployment of clean energy resources requires a predictable, timely, and cost-effective permitting framework; however, the current process is anything but,” said Mr. JC Sandberg. “Addressing our permitting and transmission siting challenges at the federal level will be critical to the future development and deployment of domestic clean energy.”

“Our opponents are really really astute at using the federal courts,” said Mr. Tom Jorden. “They’ve realized they don’t have to block the entire project; they just have to block one mile of it, and they can therefore kill the entire pipeline.”

Click here to watch the forum.