[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5729-H5731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELECTRONIC PERMITTING MODERNIZATION ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5509) to modernize permitting systems at the Department of
the Interior, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5509
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Electronic Permitting
Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PERMIT ACCESSIBILITY.
(a) In General.--In order to improve the overall economy,
efficiency, and management of operations and activities of
the Department of the Interior (referred to in this section
as the ``Department''), reduce paperwork, and provide high-
quality services and access to the public, the Secretary of
the Interior shall, to the extent practicable--
[[Page H5730]]
(1) design and deliver modernized electronic permitting
systems to accept, process, and record applications
(including plan submissions, payment activity, and other
related correspondence) for permits, forms, and other
paperwork required for activities regulated by the
Department;
(2) provide a centralized electronic permitting system
online repository, available to the public on the
Department's website, that includes--
(A) hyperlinks to facilitate navigation to all Department
electronic permitting systems; and
(B) with respect to permits, the contact information for
the appropriate Department employees providing assistance to
State, Tribal, and local governments; and
(3) provide to the Committee on Natural Resources of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate periodic updates on the
implementation of paragraphs (1) and (2).
(b) Disclosure of Information Prohibited.--No information
described in section 552(b) of title 5, United States Code,
or protected from disclosure by another law of the United
States shall be disclosed under this Act.
(c) Duplication of Systems Not Permitted.--No system shall
be duplicated under this Act.
(d) Consultation.--In developing the permitting systems
required under section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior shall consult with States, local governments, Indian
Tribes and other stakeholders who apply for agency permits
and will use the permitting systems.
SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY WITH THE
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2023.
In developing the permitting systems required under
section 2 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall
ensure that the Department's electronic permitting systems
are consistent with the priorities identified in section 110
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4336d) with respect to any permit that requires review under
that Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-
Cortez) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5509, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, Representative Porter's bipartisan legislation directs
the Secretary of the Interior to design and deliver electronic
permitting systems for permits, forms, and other required paperwork to
the extent practical.
Republicans have long supported streamlining and simplifying the
permitting process. Additionally, the minority worked with us to
address a concern raised with the legislation and how it would interact
with recent changes to NEPA enacted under the Fiscal Responsibility
Act.
These discussions led to changes to Ms. Porter's legislation to
clarify that any permitting system related to NEPA be consistent with
the priorities identified in the FRA's NEPA provision.
This legislation aims to streamline the management of operations of
the Department of the Interior, improving access to our public lands
and Department facilities.
Modernizing the permitting process is an overdue task needed to
increase departmental efficiency and improve transparency.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my colleague Representative
Porter's bill, the Electronic Permitting Modernization Act.
This legislation would codify parts of a Biden executive order that
improves the navigability of the Federal Government's permitting
process, and the bill would require the Department of the Interior to
design and deliver a modernized electronic permitting system.
Permitting reform has been a popular topic this Congress in the
Committee on Natural Resources, and on this topic, it is rare that we
can achieve a bipartisan win, but we can all be for bringing the
Federal permitting system into the 21st century.
That is why this bill would require the Department of the Interior to
provide a centralized online repository on its website for public
access to its electronic permitting system. It would also make easily
available the contact information of the appropriate Department of the
Interior employees who can assist State, Tribal, and local governments
with permit applications.
These changes will make the lives of our constituents easier by
simplifying the process of applying for a permit.
We know that we can make permitting more efficient. We can speed up
processing times, and we can improve transparency for everyone
involved, all without sacrificing community engagement or environmental
protections.
From my district in the Bronx and Queens to across the American West,
Americans are all too familiar with the legacy of sacrifice zones.
Having online options for DOI permits is a commonsense solution to a
part of an important issue that we all care about.
This bill also requires the Department of the Interior to provide
periodic updates to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which
will allow us to continue to monitor and upgrade our permitting
processes.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Representative Porter's Electronic
Permitting Modernization Act, and I urge the House to approve it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the effort of my colleague
from the OC in bringing this forward.
Really, it is about simplicity. It is about streamlining a process
for people who are just seeking to engage in a process that requires
paperwork, permits, and forms. Why would we not make that easier for
them?
With all the different interests and needs that we could have,
especially in our rural lands--parks, public lands, and the
recreational users of those--the Electronic Permitting Modernization
Act creates a simple online website to get and complete any necessary
permits.
On the other hand, when businesses are interested in raising,
logging, mining, or anything else, they will be able to find any
approval documents or applications on a single web page, one-stop
shopping.
I am happy that we can make it a little bit easier because, for my
farming business and me, sometimes it is hard to get to the forms you
need and get the stuff done. That is frustrating because all you want
to do is get back to what you are doing there to begin with.
This bill actually builds off some of the work we completed last year
with the Fiscal Responsibility Act by further directing Federal
agencies under the Department of the Interior to provide electronic
means to complete any required documentation.
This is a good step to make it simpler to get the work done. I hope
it is not an excuse to create more permits and more paperwork, but this
is a great way to help out with people who are just seeking to get
their work done.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5509, and I
appreciate the bipartisan effort on this.
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume
to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter), the sponsor of the
bill.
Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or
Independent, we all benefit when the government works the way it is
supposed to.
A 21st century nation deserves a 21st century government. The problem
is too many Federal agencies still rely on outdated systems not
designed for the people they serve. This leaves people looking for help
stuck in a tangled web of confusing application processes, clunky
government websites, and poor customer support. Long delays and
processing times often follow, adding to the frustration our
constituents feel.
It is why so many of them turn to us, their Member of Congress, for
help. Our casework teams work hard every day to cut through the red
tape, but it shouldn't have to come to that.
When we fail to modernize our way of government, we are wasting tax
dollars
[[Page H5731]]
on inefficiency, but there is something we can do today with this bill
to make government applications easier to find and simpler to submit
and process.
Congress can pass the Electronic Permitting Modernization Act, which
I lead with my good friend across the aisle, Representative Doug
LaMalfa.
This commonsense bill encourages the Department of the Interior to
offer an online option for as many of its permits as possible. It
creates a web page where our constituents can find links to the
Department's online permits. Then, it would task the Department of the
Interior to report back to Congress periodically on its progress toward
electronic permitting.
These simple steps are no-brainers, but they are necessary to keep
our government on track and to make the permitting process work for all
users.
Creating an online option for more permits will make permitting
easier for everyone, not just the applicant. It will reduce the amount
of paperwork mailed to the agency, speed up processing times, and
finally help bring our government into the 21st century.
At the same time, this bill would help Congress hold the Department
of the Interior accountable for its work. With this bill, we could more
easily see which bureaus are getting things done here with us in the
21st century and which bureaus are still having workers sitting in
windowless rooms, opening envelopes with paper checks and forms in
triplicate.
What matters the most about this bill is that it improves the daily
lives of the people we serve.
Look, I am a single mom with three kids. When your life is anything
like mine, you just want things that you expect to be easy to actually
be easy. Let's be clear: It should be easy to find and apply for a
permit to comply with the law.
Let's simplify people's lives just a little bit. Let's show them that
this part of government using their public lands works efficiently.
Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my co-lead, Representative LaMalfa, as
well as Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and their staff
for their work on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Electronic
Permitting Modernization Act.
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government is long overdue in
doing the work needed to bring its permitting processes into the 21st
century. The bill before us instructs the Secretary to create an
electronic permitting system to accept, process, and record
applications for any permitting process under the Department's
jurisdiction.
Mr. Speaker, even though the gentlewoman from California opposed my
commonsense, straightforward forestry bill earlier today, I do
recognize, commend, and support Representative Porter for her work on
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5509, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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