WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in introducing the Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency (RESTART) Act, which would provide meaningful reform to our nation’s permitting and environmental review processes. This legislation would speed up the federal permitting process for important energy, infrastructure and transportation projects throughout Wyoming.
“Vital projects ranging from those that would increase American energy independence to building roads throughout the state of Wyoming are often delayed years due to red tape and backlogs in the federal permitting process,” said Sen. Lummis. “This commonsense legislation would speed up environmental reviews and get America back on track.”
The RESTART Act would streamline the agency review process with enforceable timelines, implement time limits to prevent endless legal challenges and modernize current laws while maintaining environmental protections. This bill also includes language from Sen. Lummis’ Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023, which would protect firefighters, communities and properties in Wyoming and throughout the west from devastating impacts of wildfires by creating a Clean Water Act exemption for federal, state, local and tribal agencies to use fire retardant on fires.
Lummis has been outspoken about the need for permitting reform. On Wednesday, Lummis delivered a speech on the Senate floor in support of permitting reform. For video of her remarks, click here.
Last week, she also spoke about the need to advance permitting reform legislation to move forward key Wyoming infrastructure projects during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing. For video of the hearing, click here.
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