NJBIA joined with the National Association of Manufacturers and over 80 business trade associations this week in urging Congress to approve H.R. 1, the “Lower Energy Costs Act,” which would increase the production and export of American energy and reduce regulatory burdens.
In a March 28 letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the business groups said that increasing domestic energy production, streamlining energy infrastructure and exports, and enacting broad permitting reforms are all critical for U.S. manufacturers and businesses.
“America’s success and leadership depend on a strong, competitive manufacturing industry, which employs 13 million people and adds more than $2.8 trillion to the U.S. economy,” wrote the trade organizations, which collectively represent hundreds of thousands of businesses nationwide.
“Some of the biggest obstacles preventing manufacturers—and therefore the entire American economy— from reaching our full potential are the permitting delays, red tape and complicated bureaucracy that have plagued us for decades,” the business groups said. “Today, though, as we work to modernize our infrastructure and shore up our supply chains, the need for reform is more urgent than ever.”
H.R. 1 would increase the production and export of American energy and reduce the regulatory burdens that make it harder to build major infrastructure, they said.
“Increasing domestic energy production, bolstering domestic production and processing of critical minerals, streamlining energy infrastructure and exports and enacting broad permitting reform all while maintaining the highest levels of environmental stewardship are critical for U.S. manufacturers and businesses,” the groups wrote.
“It is crucial that Congress pass H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. Energy security and permitting affects every aspect of our lives—from our economic security to our national security,” they wrote.
