Washington – Business Roundtable, an association of business leaders representing every sector of the economy, today commented on passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would expedite federal permitting for water resources projects. The U.S. Senate passed similar legislation, S. 601, on May 15, 2013, by a vote of 83 to 14.
“The members of Business Roundtable, who lead major American companies operating in every sector of the economy, applaud the House of Representatives for acting to pass the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA),” said Andrew Liveris, President, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, and Chair of the Business Roundtable Select Committee on Smart Regulation. “This bipartisan bill is an important first step in creating a smarter, more streamlined federal permitting system. We look forward to working with Members of Congress and the President to ensure this important legislation becomes law. However, to truly unlock investment and get more Americans back to work, we urge policymakers to reduce the complexity, redundancy and uncertainty throughout the federal permitting process, not just water infrastructure projects.”
America’s business leaders have consistently identified overly complex and burdensome regulation as a significant drag on economic growth and job creation. They support a smarter approach to regulation that achieves societal goals while reducing harmful economic effects. Over the last two years, Business Roundtable has issued two landmark publications, Achieving Smarter Regulation and Permitting Jobs and Business Investment: Streamlining the Federal Permitting Process, which lay out a comprehensive plan for smart regulatory reform.
Business Roundtable has engaged both the Administration and Congress to press their case for reform. The Roundtable welcomed President Obama’s willingness to explore reform and has endorsed several smart regulation bills under consideration by Congress, including the Regulatory Accountability Act, the Federal Permitting Improvement Act and the Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act.
Today’s approval of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act by the U.S. House of Representatives is an important step forward for meaningful regulatory reform, and we encourage Congress to finalize the bill quickly.