WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 will include a number of his bills to strengthen American energy security by accelerating the permitting process for energy and mineral projects in the U.S.
In addition to the permitting wins, Cassidy secured a commitment from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (I-WV) to hold a business meeting on his Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act to improve and enhance offshore revenue sharing.
“It’s a problem that there are more ways to kill a project than build one in the U.S.,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Today’s action to move the bipartisan permitting reform bill forward begins to change that paradigm.”
“From judicial reform to mandatory offshore lease sales and ending the LNG freeze, there’s a lot to like in here for the Pelican state and our workforce,” added Dr. Cassidy. “Permitting reform is one step in the right direction, the RISEE Act is the next giant hurdle to jump.”
Cassidy wins in the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 include provisions from:
- The Revising and Enhancing Project Authorizations Impacted by Review (REPAIR) Act, judicial reform legislation that refines the statute of limitations to streamline the permitting and approval processes for U.S. energy, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure projects.
- The Offshore Energy Security Act, which requires the Secretary of the Interior to hold offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico.
- The Warding Off Hostile Administrative Leave Efforts (WHALE) Act, which ensures Rice’s whale mitigation measures, such as the 10-knot vessel speed limit, are not included in mandatory offshore lease sales.
- The LNG Security Act, which reverses the Biden-Harris administration LNG export permitting pause by requiring the Secretary of Energy to approve or deny all LNG export applications within 90 days of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission publishing the environmental review. For any pending applications where environmental reviews are already complete, the shot-clock starts on the date of enactment. If the Secretary fails to act, the application is deemed approved.
- S. 4050, which extends licenses for two Louisiana hydropower projects, the Overton Lock and Dam and the Red River Lock and Dam #3, and passed the Senate by unanimous consent in March 2024.
Background
The RISEE Act would both amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and create a new dedicated stream of funding from future offshore wind development for coastal protection and resiliency. Analysis suggests Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama missed out on about $216 million in offshore revenue sharing that would have been dedicated to local resiliency projects within the last year alone.
The RISEE Act was considered and passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last Congress. Learn more about growing support for Cassidy’s bill to strengthen the gulf revenue sharing program.
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