U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Rick Scott, Colleagues Introduce Permitting Transparency and Accountability Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and several of their colleagues in introducing the Permitting Transparency and Accountability Act.
The legislation would require all U.S. agencies issuing permits to create a page on their website for permit applicants to track the status of their permit application.
“The Permitting Transparency and Accountability Act is a critical step in providing regulatory certainty,” said Senator Britt. “This effort is aligned with President Trump’s goal of building back America and growing our economy – progress should not be impeded by unnecessary regulation or a lack of transparency. As we work to modernize American infrastructure to meet 21st-century demands, streamlining the permitting process will be essential to helping communities across our nation benefit from improved roads, bridges, energy infrastructure, broadband access, and more.”
Available information on agency websites would also include steps completed in the permitting process, as well as those remaining, the timeframe expected, and contact information for users to readily access. Read the full text of the bill here.
“The federal permitting process can be an overly bureaucratic, frustrating, and long process that leaves applicants waiting with no information, no timeline, and no updates on the status of approval. It’s time to fix that,” said Senator Scott. “My Permitting Transparency and Accountability Act simply requires agencies to create a page on their website to allow applicants to track the status of their approval and a full description of what they can expect from the application process. Americans deserve a federal government that is fully transparent and works efficiently to support their success, and this bill will be a great step to better serve Americans.”
Senator Britt has been a consistent advocate for cutting red tape and increasing transparency in the permitting process. She long fought the Biden Administration’s overreaching, ambiguous, and job-killing “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, saying in a 2023 Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, “The uncertainty of Biden’s WOTUS rule has created and continues to create an unsustainable state of shifting permitting in this country. The cost is hundreds of thousands of dollars for Americans to comply with ever-changing regulations.”
Senator Britt also delivered remarks during U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement that the EPA will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to deliver on President Trump’s promise to review the definition of WOTUS. “I am so proud to be here today. The clarity that we saw in Sackett actually being able to be implemented . . . being able to have regulatory certainty, pulling back the red tape regime, and allowing our men and women to do what they do best, providing not only for their families, but for ours,” she said, praising EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Additionally, she is a supporter of the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which would place the permitting process of LNG export terminal construction in the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). “This legislation to streamline the permitting process for LNG export terminals is a critical step in implementing President Trump’s America First energy agenda so foreign customers don’t turn to other suppliers, including our adversaries,” stated Senator Britt.
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