Energy Infrastructure

Strengthening our nation’s energy infrastructure will mean more jobs, a cleaner environment, more competitive manufacturing, increased government revenue, additional economic growth, and access to more affordable energy for Americans.  As such, AXPC supports the commitment to enhancing our nation’s infrastructure, and related initiatives that will promote certainty and predictability in the permitting process.

These initiatives include eliminating duplicative permit reviews, shortening the lengthy federal permit review process, expanding the use of categorical exclusions where the permitted actions will not have a significant impact, limiting the opportunities for frivolous permit challenges, and wherever possible, deferring environmental reviews and permitting decisions to states.

The national priority to develop federal policies that encourage meaningful infrastructure investment has highlighted a real need and opportunity to address National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidance for the first time since 1978, with the goal of streamlining approvals: designating a lead agency that would produce a single combined review document for each project – within a more reasonable timeline. Current NEPA reviews average between three to five years.

Ultimately, focusing on expanding our nation’s infrastructure, as well as improving the process of safely developing the country’s energy infrastructure, will allow our communities to more greatly realize the environmental and economic benefits of domestic, affordable, reliable energy.