“YES” on H.R. 161, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act

          NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on H.R. 161, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, which would accelerate the federal review process for natural gas pipeline permit applications.
 
          Streamlining the permitting process for natural gas pipelines and codifying commonsense deadlines will help reduce unnecessary regulatory hurdles that cause too many critical projects to languish. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from February 2013 found that the many stages and steps of the permitting process that often vary from state to state can hinder meritorious projects. The GAO explains that “for those projects that were approved from January 2010 to January 2012, the average time from pre-filing to certification was 558 days…” As natural gas exploration booms around the country, moving that resource from one point to another is a crucial component to the growth and sustainability of the industry.

          Giant infrastructure projects, such as natural gas pipelines, require massive investments of capital and planning – two things, that in turn, require a transparent, predictable, and consistent regulatory environment in order to ensure those investments pay off. The new deadlines laid out in H.R. 161 would convey a greater degree of certainty in a growing market and reduce the capability of the federal government to unduly limit the potential of this important industry.

          Roll call votes on H.R. 161 will be included in our annual Rating of Congress and a “Yes” vote will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.