I. Introduction and Key Taxpayer Considerations
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we write to express our views on several measures slated for consideration before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today. NTU applauds the Committee for its continued efforts to advance legislation that improves government efficiency, cuts red tape, protects consumer choice, and boosts American energy production. As such, NTU strongly urges Committee members to support H.R. 6398 and H.R. 6373.
II. Legislation NTU Supports at January 21 Markup
H.R. 6398 – RED Tape Act – Support
The Reducing and Eliminating Duplicative Environmental Regulations (RED Tape) Act, introduced by Rep. Joyce (R-OH), is a commonsense step toward smarter, more efficient environmental policy. Currently, EPA conducts an extensive second review and publicly comments on the environmental impacts of other federal agencies’ projects and regulations, even if EPA has already engaged in the environmental review. This ultimately slows the permitting process significantly. By eliminating overlapping and redundant regulatory requirements, this bill would reduce unnecessary costs and delays without weakening core environmental protections. This streamlined approach will give businesses and project developers greater certainty, helping critical infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing projects move forward faster. Lower compliance burdens ultimately translate into lower costs for consumers and a stronger, more competitive U.S. economy. NTU supports this legislation as written, or as part of a larger comprehensive permitting reform package.
H.R. 6373 – Air Permitting Improvements to Protect National Security Act – Support
This legislation, introduced by Rep. Palmer (R-AL), strengthens America’s ability to build and modernize critical infrastructure without unnecessary regulatory delays. By streamlining air permitting for projects essential to defense, energy security, and domestic manufacturing, the bill ensures the United States can quickly bolster our supply chain of manufacturing. Getting unnecessary government obstacles out of the way is an efficient way to develop more advanced manufacturing structures in order to achieve President Trump’s economic vision. Importantly, it preserves core environmental protections while providing agencies and project sponsors greater certainty and clear timelines.