Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 253.
This bill directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to serve as the sole NEPA lead agency for Natural Gas Act section 3 and 7 authorizations, centralizes interagency coordination, and requires early identification and designation of participating agencies.
It limits agencies’ ability to conduct supplemental NEPA reviews, removes the applicant requirement to provide a CWA Section 401 certification while allowing states to propose conditions for FERC consideration, sets deadlines (including a 90-day deadline for federal authorizations after FERC NEPA completion), and requires public tracking, TSA consultation on pipeline security, acceptance of remote-survey data, and permitting use of applicant-funded third-party reviewers.
Procedural, non‑spending bill improves prospects, but substantive federal preemption and contested policy area lower odds in Senate and courts.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly defines its purpose and implements detailed procedural mechanisms to centralize NEPA-related review authority with the Commission and streamline interagency coordination. It assigns roles, sets concrete timelines, mandates public tracking, and integrates with relevant statutory provisions.
CWA Section 401 removal: liberals see erosion of state power; conservatives see delay reduction.
CWA Section 401 removal: liberals see erosion of state power; conservatives see delay reduction.
Likely views the bill skeptically as it centralizes review authority at FERC and constrains state and agency review tools.
Main concerns will focus on reduced state water-quality authority, curtailed supplemental NEPA reviews, and diminished public input.
Sees clear merits in improving interagency coordination and predictability to reduce permitting delays, but is concerned about legal and practical limits on environmental review.
Will weigh procedural gains against risks to state authority and thorough analysis for complex projects.
Likely supportive because the bill reduces duplicative reviews, imposes enforceable timetables, and centralizes authority to cut permitting delays.
Views limiting state hold-ups and enabling applicant-funded review as pro-business reforms.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Procedural, non‑spending bill improves prospects, but substantive federal preemption and contested policy area lower odds in Senate and courts.
On Passage
On Motion to Recommit
CWA Section 401 removal: liberals see erosion of state power; conservatives see delay reduction.
Procedural, non‑spending bill improves prospects, but substantive federal preemption and contested policy area lower odds in Senate and cou…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly defines its purpose and implements detailed procedural mechanisms to centralize NEPA-related review authority with the Commission and streamline interagency c…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.