TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations, and dedicated to promoting, protecting, and defending America’s free enterprise system, strongly supports H.R. 3301, the “North American Energy Infrastructure Act,” which would reform the regulatory process for approving certain energy infrastructure projects that cross U.S. borders in North America.
H.R. 3301 would streamline the approval process for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of oil pipelines and electric transmission lines at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil or the transmission of electricity to or from Canada or Mexico. For example, the legislation would:
Consolidate and standardize the cross-border approval process for certain energy infrastructure projects by replacing and superseding the current processes that have been created through multiple Executive Orders;
Instruct that all applications for cross-border oil pipelines be handled by the Department of State, and cross-border electric transmission lines by the Department of Energy; and
Require agencies to approve cross-border applications within 120 days after final action is taken under the National Environmental Policy Act, unless they determine that the project is not in the public interest of the United States.
H.R. 3301 would be an important step in reforming this country’s broken federal regulatory process, in order to create jobs and strengthen the economy. The Chamber strongly supports H.R. 3301 and may consider votes on, or in relation to, H.R. 3301 in our annual How They Voted scorecard.
Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten