NUCA Statement on Fiscal Responsibility Act

The chief executive officer of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), Doug Carlson, issued the following statement on the “Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023”:

Carlson

“The bipartisan ‘Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023’ promises to address the debt ceiling and reach an agreement on limiting federal spending, both of which will deliver stability to the nation’s economy. The bill also promises to deliver much-needed reforms to the federal permitting process, specifically making key reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act, establishing reasonable timelines for the environmental review process, and implementing the One Federal Decision authority reforms.”

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“Contractors do not have the luxury of unlimited time when completing their complex construction projects. Projects are carefully designed with timelines established for construction phases, materials delivery, subcontractor deployment, and labor needs to complete these jobs within budget and on schedule. Delays brought on by inefficient permitting demands only increase costs to taxpayers and prevent our communities from reaping the benefits of modern utility infrastructure.”

“However, Congress must also maintain the levels of infrastructure funding contained in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden. This administration has heavily promoted the benefits these projects will deliver. Many of these projects await funding over the next three years. NUCA has made protecting those investments a top legislative priority for this session.”

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“Delivering efficiency to the broken federal permitting process will remove roadblocks that have unnecessarily stalled infrastructure projects for years. NUCA urges Congress to build on the important work done in this bill, and consider a broader package of permitting reforms later this year. In the meantime, this bill will deliver economic efficiencies to the nation and the nation’s water, wastewater, broadband, gas, electric, and other utility infrastructure, and NUCA supports its timely passage.”

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