Dear Chair McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone:
In advance of tomorrow’s Energy and Commerce Committee markup, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds your Committee’s focus on the broken federal permitting process. We support the legislation being considered that would draw attention to this problem and ensure greater predictability and transparency for the development of critical infrastructure. The permitting process should not take longer than it takes to build new infrastructure, and many of the bills being considered by the Committee would accelerate the investments necessary to support energy security and economic development. In addition, the Chamber looks forward to working on the three bills that focus on data protection issues, as outlined below, and we hope that these bills will be improved as the legislative process continues.
Specifically, the Chamber supports several bills aimed at ensuring reliable, secure, and affordable domestic energy supplies and supporting America’s leading role in innovation and the reduction of carbon emissions:
· H.R. 1068, the “Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act,” which would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to analyze the U.S. critical mineral existing supply and future demand, as well as threats to the supply chain. Securing current and future sources of critical minerals is an important strategic goal for the American economy.
· H.R. 1070, a bill to streamline permitting for refining critical materials which would amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide the owner or operator of a critical energy resource facility an interim permit under subtitle C that is subject to final approval by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
· H.R. 1085, the “Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining (REFINER) Act,” which would require the National Petroleum Council to analyze the value of U.S. petrochemical refineries to energy security, while also addressing current refining capacity, expansion potential, and risks to ensure future needs are met.
· H.R. 1130, the “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act,” which would empower U.S. natural gas exports and would help ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in the international trade of this crucial commodity.
· H.R. 1140, a bill to unlock critical energy minerals which would authorize the Administrator of the EPA to waive application of certain requirements with respect to processing and refining a critical energy resource at a critical energy resource facility.
· H.R. 1115, the “Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act,” which would improve the review processes necessary to support natural gas infrastructure development.
With regard to H.R. 742, the “TELL Act,” H.R. 750, the “CAUTION Act of 2023,” and H.R. 784, the “Internet Application I.D. Act,” the Chamber agrees with the concerns animating these bills. It is important that Americans understand that the digital services that they consume may have ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Communist Party of China (CCP). Given the secrecy of the CCP, however, companies do not have the capability, as these bills would require, to determine or verify whether a website or mobile application is ultimately owned, controlled, or could be accessed by the Chinese government and the CCP. This circumstance presents a significant compliance challenge. We would welcome the opportunity to work with the committee on how best to address this challenge.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer,
and Head of Strategic Advocacy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
cc: Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
