Business Roundtable applauds the passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) by the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes provisions to 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.

“This bipartisan bill is an important first step in creating a smarter, more streamlined federal permitting system,” said Andrew Liveris, President, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, and Chair of the Business Roundtable Select Committee on Smart Regulation.

“However,” Liveris added, “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.”

Business Roundtable outlined a series of recommendations for making the federal permitting process more efficient and effective in Permitting Jobs and Business Investment: Streamlining the Federal Permitting Process. The Roundtable also expressed its support for the bipartisan Federal Permitting Improvement Act of 2013 earlier this year.