Washington, D.C. – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading voice for sensible energy policies for families and businesses, applauds the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action to finalize the Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule, which sets a one-year deadline for states and tribes to certify or reject proposed projects as part of the water certification process.
CEA Federal Affairs Advisor Michael Zehr said:
“We applaud EPA’s action to improve the process to create clear, transparent regulatory pathways that will allow more affordable supplies of energy to reach families and small businesses. For far too long, some state agencies have abused the law, creating a system where one state can dictate decisions for the country by stopping traditional and renewable energy projects with bureaucratic red tape.”
“Unfortunately, in the past these postponements have only served to hurt workers, their families, businesses and Americans who are being denied access to reliable, affordable energy – something that everyone will need more now than ever as we rebuild from COVID-19. There is nothing controversial about asking states to make a yes or no decision – which was the clear Congressional intent of the Clean Water Act – rather than playing games about when their regulatory review clock begins.”
“CEA believes this rule will provide states with enough time to review critical energy infrastructure projects that have gone through multiple layers and years of rigorous regulatory analysis, without unnecessarily delaying much-needed infrastructure development for reasons unrelated to a project’s water quality permit.”
