House committee to examine effects of infrastructure law

September 27, 2022

Land Line Staff

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Last year, Congress passed a massive infrastructure bill. This week, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will examine how the legislation has affected American families, workers and communities.

The hearing titled, “Investing in Our Nation’s Infrastructure and Workers: Why it Matters,” is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Sept. 29.

The hearing will give stakeholders the opportunity to update lawmakers on the effects of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. According to the agenda, the hearing will focus on the transportation-related provisions of these laws.

Witnesses scheduled for the hearing:

  • Sara Nelson, Association of Flight Attendants president
  • Greg Regan, Transportation Trades Department president
  • Stephen Gardner, Amtrak CEO
  • Samuel Desue Jr., TriMet general manager
  • David Ditch, political analyst for The Heritage Foundation
  • Adam Hersh, senior economist for Economic Policy Institute

The hearing is planned to be livestreamed here.

Permitting Action Plan

In 2021, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law an infrastructure package aimed at investing in communities and growing the economy. This past May, the White House released a Permitting Action Plan to accelerate and deliver infrastructure projects on time and on budget.

According to the White House, the Permitting Action Plan is built on five key elements to help ensure the “timely and effective” delivery of upgrades to America’s infrastructure.

1. Accelerating smart permitting through early cross-agency coordination.

“Ensuring early coordination and effective communication across federal agencies is critical for moving infrastructure projects forward efficiently and on time,” the White House said.

2. Establishing clear timeline goals and tracking key project information.

“Communities and project proponents all benefit from having clear information about the schedules, key milestones and deadlines, and public comment opportunities for the environmental review and permitting of major projects,” the White House said. “Timeline goals and up-to-date information increase accountability, encourage efficiency, enable greater public participation in project decisions and build greater trust in government.”

3. Engaging in early and meaningful outreach.

As part of the plan, the White House said it will proactively partner and coordinate with relevant state, territorial, tribal and local governments.

4. Improving agency responsiveness.

Part of the goal will be to identify, share and develop tools to help stakeholders navigate the environmental review and permitting process.

5. Using agency resources and environmental reviews to improve impact.

“Timely, informative environmental reviews that are guided by the best available science and help deliver positive environmental and community impact require sufficient levels of skilled agency staff and effective use of budgetary resources,” the White House said. LL