Legislation would reduce costly permitting delays caused by radical regulations at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), increase investment in American manufacturing and create new jobs for hard-working taxpayers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) today released the following statements upon introducing the Promoting New Manufacturing Act:

“American energy production has the power to propel our economy forward and fuel job growth, especially in the manufacturing industry. Sadly, the EPA insists on holding America back with its onerous regulations and deeply flawed permitting process for new and expanding manufacturing facilities. In order to tap into the full potential of our vital energy and manufacturing sectors, we must establish accountability measures that protect American manufacturing jobs. The Promoting New Manufacturing Act does just that, and I am proud to join with Congressman Scalise to introduce this legislation,” said Senator Capito.

"The Promoting New Manufacturing Act holds the EPA accountable and makes the federal government more effective and efficient by cutting red tape that is currently choking millions of dollars in manufacturing investments," Rep. Scalise said. "Our bill would implement much-needed reforms at the EPA to fix a broken permitting process that is holding innovators back from creating thousands of good jobs here in America. The hard-working taxpayers who have to live with these radical regulations deserve transparency from the EPA. This agency must be held to a higher standard and should have to prove that its proposals can be realistically achieved without destroying American jobs. Instead of arbitrary rules that will force jobs overseas and increase carbon emissions around the globe, this bill provides the American manufacturers with a roadmap to attain the highest standards through the use of the best commercially available science and technology."

The Promoting New Manufacturing Act:

  • Reduces costly construction permitting delays that impede the construction of new facilities by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide guidance on how to comply with new or revised air quality standards. 
  • Increases transparency by making public the number of Clean Air Act New Source Review (NSR) preconstruction permits issued annually and the timelines for the full permitting process. 
  • Promotes the efficient processing of permits by requiring the EPA to provide Congress with an annual report on the actions being taken by the agency to expedite the permitting process.

Background:

Across our nation, there are scores of proposed manufacturing facilities not being constructed because they are held up in burdensome permitting processes and bureaucratic red tape. According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), there are currently 231 announced manufacturing projects that will contribute an estimated $142 billion to the U.S. economy. By 2023, the ACC estimates, these new investments could generate tens of billions in chemical industry exports and hundreds of thousands of permanent jobs. In Louisiana alone, there are over 50 proposed projects worth more than $35 billion that will create over 50,000 new jobs and support at least an additional 20,000 jobs.

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