Press Releases

Today, Congressional Western Caucus Vice Chair Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) introduced the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act. This legislation will implement a “permit by rule” approach to remove bureaucratic hurdles to permitting while expediting project approvals and implementation.
 
“A large portion of my career has been spent helping Utahns work through burdensome federal permitting processes,” said Vice Chair Maloy. “Permit applications are often inconsistent and lack clear timelines. The FREE Act offers some long overdue relief, streamlining permits to make them more manageable and predictable. Utah businesses and local governments will benefit from this improvement.”
 
“The permitting process is often burdensome and costly, resulting in project delays that hinder economic growth and development. I’m proud to join Congresswoman Maloy to introduce the FREE Act, which would cut through unnecessary red tape by implementing a streamlined permitting process. This is a commonsense proposal that would provide predictability to businesses and speed up domestic projects, helping reduce our reliance on adversarial countries like China,” Rep. Chavez-DeRemer said.
 
Joining Vice Chair Maloy and Rep. Chavez-DeRemer as original cosponsors are Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Western Caucus Vice Chairs Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Pete Stauber (MN-08) and Ryan Zinke (MT-01), as well as Reps. John Curtis (UT-03), Blake Moore (UT-01), Mary Peltola (AK-AL), Jake LaTurner (KS-02), August Pfluger (TX-11), Vince Fong (CA-20), Jodey Arrington (TX-19), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09).
 
“Reforms to modernize permitting are urgently needed if we’re to fully unlock America’s energy and resource potential,” said Chairman Newhouse. “By implementing ‘permit by rule,’ the cumbersome permitting process will become more efficient by reducing time spent on routine permits and freeing up agency staff to work on larger projects.  I applaud Vice Chair Maloy on introducing this important legislation to modernize the permitting process to avoid unnecessary bureaucratic delays to important projects across rural America.”
 
“Living in Alaska all my life, and meeting with Alaskans about stalled projects every week, it's clear that we need a change to our federal permitting process—one that will cut government red tape for good. Our FREE Act’s permit-by-rule system will create jobs, boost Alaskan projects, and expedite disaster relief,” said Rep. Peltola.

“The laborious and time-consuming federal permitting process prohibits Utahns from quickly receiving approvals for their projects. It creates frustrating delays and uncertainty, often resulting in canceled projects. The FREE Act is a significant step toward reforming and streamlining our federal permitting system so businesses can receive efficient approvals for their critical projects. The simplified approach outlined in the FREE Act will foster economic growth, encourage innovation, and provide clarity for those seeking federal permits. I thank Congresswoman Maloy for her work to become a leader on reforming our broken permitting system, and I am glad to support this bill,” said Rep. Moore.

“Our energy future will be affordable, reliable, and clean,” said Rep. Curtis. “To make that happen, we need to remove the red tape that holds back our energy projects. I am pleased to support this legislation and work to streamline the permitting process.”

Background:
 
Permit by rule is a process where an applicant certifies compliance with preestablished criteria to obtain a permit. This approach shifts the responsibility of the applicant proving compliance to the government, allowing for automatic permit approval unless the agency identifies that an applicant had not made proper certifications within a specified period. The permit by rule system is designed to reduce bureaucratic delays, minimize costs, and enhance predictability in the permitting process.
 
Further Summary can be found here. Full text of the legislation can be found here.