Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Friday voted in favor of S. 4753, the Energy Permitting Reform Act, during a markup held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The panel reported the legislation, which reflects a bipartisan agreement between Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), by a vote of 15-4.

“Anyone who has been within a thousand miles of the federal permitting process knows it is broken and one of the biggest impediments to responsible resource development,” Murkowski said. “The package we approved today contains common sense reforms that will make a difference for our ability to produce all types of energy and minerals and thereby improve our cost of living, security, and competitiveness. I credit Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso for their bipartisan work. I’m proud to support it, urge all committees to bring ideas within their jurisdiction to the table, and will help push for the best possible bill to become law before the end of this Congress.” 

The Energy Permitting Reform Act is the result of more than a year of negotiation. The measure will benefit all forms of energy – from oil, natural gas, and coal to renewables – as well as minerals. Among other policy improvements, it cancels the Biden administration’s unwarranted “pause” on the approval of LNG export terminals, provides for expedited leasing for geothermal energy, and establishes more effective transmission policies for the Lower 48.  

Murkowski ensured the bill’s statute of limitations for judicial review and judicial remand would apply to litigation on projects in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). She also secured language to clarify that the installation and removal of stream gages will be classified as low disturbance activities for permitting purposes. During the markup, Murkowski pressed for additional hydropower reforms to increase the use of this clean, abundant, baseload resource and secured commitments from Manchin and Barrasso to strengthen the bill’s current provisions.

The full text of the Energy Permitting Reform Act, as introduced, is available here.

A section-by-section for the legislation, as introduced, is available here.

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