Rep. Ted Budd Introduces the Build More Pipelines Act

Press Release

Today, Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Build More Pipelines Act. The bill codifies the Trump Administration's rule limiting state-based regulatory roadblocks to pipeline contraction.

Rep. Budd's Build More Pipelines Act is the House companion to Senator Shelley Moore Capito's (R-WV) Section 401 Certification Act.

Original co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Alex Mooney (R-WV). 

Rep. Budd said in a statement:

"As working families struggle to afford to put gas in their tanks, the need for America to return to energy dominance is needed now more than ever. The Trump administration prevented states from abusing Section 401 of the Clean Water Act to block the building of energy pipelines. My bill simply codifies this common sense rule so that we can build more pipelines and lower the price of fuel."

Background:

The Trump Administration's 2020 Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule:

Specified a one-year statutory and regulatory timeline within which states could review and provide certification for proposed projects after receiving a request for certification.

Clarified that the scope of Section 401 certification is limited to a project's actual potential impacts on water quality and prevented considering extraneous factors that do not affect water quality.

Reaffirmed the EPA's statutory responsibility to provide technical assistance to all involved parties throughout a Section 401 certification process.

Encouraged early engagement and coordination among project proponents, certifying authorities, and federal licensing and permitting agencies to increase successful Section 401 outcomes for both project proponents and state authorities.

Source