WASHINGTON (July 26, 2023) — The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in advance of a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing “to Examine Opportunities for Congress to Reform the Process for Permitting Electric Transmission Lines, Pipelines, and Energy Production on Federal Lands.”
“Today’s Senate hearing advances the urgent task of creating a 21st century process for the permitting of energy infrastructure and production projects. A timely, effective, and harmonized permitting process is vital to U.S. competitiveness, supply chain security, and energy and manufacturing innovation for a lower emissions future. In the chemical sector, what’s needed is onsite access to diverse sources and technologies for use in our operations along with national infrastructure to enable their deployment and growth.
“Chemistry companies are among the leaders and participants in exploring the development and use of innovative lower-emissions technologies. The chemical sector and its supply chain also produce essential ‘inputs’ for energy-saving solutions such as semiconductors, electric vehicles (EVs), solar and wind power, advanced battery storage, high-performance building solutions, lightweight vehicle parts, and more. Rapid deployment of new infrastructure will be important for both.
“The bipartisan debt ceiling agreement included important provisions on permitting modernization. We urge Congress and the Biden administration to address the inefficient permitting process for industrial projects. We will continue to engage with policymakers on this critical issue for our industry and the country.”