Energy Permitting ‘Ripe’ for Bipartisan Overhaul, Lawmakers Say

The House is poised to move first on a revamp of federal permitting rules for energy projects, with a bill that could come as soon as this spring, according to lawmakers involved in the effort.

House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said Republicans will use the BUILDER Act, a measure introduced in the last Congress by Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), as the “starting point” for permitting legislation in the House. That bill sought to update the National Environmental Policy Act by expediting timeframes associated with reviews.

Graves, a member of both the Natural Resources and ...