Nick talks to Westerman in July. Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images
Rep. Bruce Westerman is pitching his NEPA overhaul as a way to build out the grid and unlock all of the federal money Congress has thrown at the energy sector.
Why it matters: The Natural Resources chair wants to tie his draft proposal with the Senate's Manchin-Barrasso bill. But he'll need support from Democrats, many of whom oppose changing NEPA.
Driving the news: The committee's hearing on Westerman's draft bill Wednesday devolved into shouting and rejected UC requests, despite his efforts to make it bipartisan.
- Westerman's been working on NEPA changes with Rep. Scott Peters, and a GOP committee aide said the draft reflects changes they've made with Peters' team (the Democrat hasn't backed this draft).
- They've also been talking to Manchin and Barrasso staff, with an eye on marrying the bills.
What they're saying: Westerman claimed that "failure to act on permitting reform risks the delay or abandonment of 100 gigawatts of renewable energy."
- Rep. Jared Huffman rejected that characterization and argued that the proposal is essentially a facet of Project 2025.
Zoom in: The bill could ease the path for projects funded under the IRA, IIJA and CHIPS Act because it would mandate that receiving federal money is not a "major federal action" that requires intensive review.
- That could be an indirect way to achieve the goal of the Kelly-Cruz NEPA bill for semiconductors.
Friction point: Expect to hear concerns from Democrats about the bill's change to the definition of a "reasonably foreseeable" impact under NEPA and new time limits on judicial review.
- It would mandate that an agency consider only the area directly affected by a project or in its direct jurisdiction, which could preclude the government from considering the climate impacts of polluting projects.
