On Sept. 22, U.S. Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) introduced H.R. 8333, the Building U.S. Infrastructure Through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act. The legislation would codify much of the Council on Environmental Quality’s National Environmental Policy Act rulemaking, which ABC supports. Developed with input from the House Transportation and Infrastructure, Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees, the bill includes important provisions to create a more efficient NEPA review process and clarifies which projects require NEPA review. This will promote better agency coordination and set reasonable time limits for preparing environmental documents.

Following the release of the BUILDER Act, ABC Vice President of Legislative & Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen issued the following statement:

“ABC applauds congressional leaders for introducing this legislation, which will go a long way toward eliminating unnecessary delays that cause budget overruns in construction. Construction businesses recovering from the ongoing health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 will surely benefit from these modifications, which will help reduce costs and speed up project approvals so that hardworking U.S. workers can get back on the job quickly and safely.

"The coordinated, predictable and transparent process to streamline permitting will also enable the industry to plan and execute even the most complex projects while safeguarding our communities, maintaining a healthy environment and being good stewards of public funds.”

ABC is a member of the Unlock American Investment Coalition, which focuses on modernizing NEPA and unlocking American investment in modern, efficient infrastructure, creating middle-class sustaining jobs while advancing good environmental stewardship. To learn more, see the coalition’s fact sheet on modernizing NEPA.