Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, criticized the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for issuing final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules that she believes will add burdensome requirements and delays to the nation's project review process. Capito stated, "The White House continues to say it is in favor of making it easier to build things in America while at the same time imposing more and more regulations that will do the opposite."

Capito expressed concerns that the rules favor projects aligned with the Biden administration's climate agenda, potentially hindering job-creating energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects. She highlighted that the additional project review requirements are exacerbating an already problematic permitting process.

In previous communications, officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Army for Civil Works indicated to Capito that the Biden administration's climate regulations, such as the "social cost of carbon" and "greenhouse gas emissions," are not legally mandated. Capito and Republican members of the EPW Committee had also urged the administration to withdraw proposed rules that they believed added unnecessary complexity to project review processes.

Capito, along with John Barrasso, introduced legislation aimed at reforming the nation's permitting and environmental review processes to address delays in energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects. The senator continues to advocate for sensible reforms to streamline the permitting process and eliminate unnecessary hurdles for projects across the country.