Senators Look for Permitting Improvement as Debt Deadline Nears

Senators at a Wednesday hearing looked for ways to make federal permitting more efficient as pressure builds from congressional Republicans to use the issue as a bargaining chip in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

The senators and administration witnesses discussed approaches such as adding staff, using different management practices, and sharing data more effectively to reduce duplication across agencies during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the committee, said he will release his own draft permitting bill “very soon.” Any measure approved by Congress must reduce greenhouse gases, address transmission barriers ...