October 2025: The PERMIT ACT: One Big Wish List for Polluters!
BACKGROUND: The House is considering legislation that would essentially gut Clean Water Act safeguards for our waterways. The Permit Act (the misleadingly labeled “Promoting Efficiency Review for Modern Infrastructure Today”) introduces key "reforms" aimed at streamlining, modernizing, and expediting the federal permitting process, particularly under the Clean Water Act. But the Act's impact on environmental safeguards, equitable cost allocation, and public transparency about cumulative environmental impacts would be severe.
It substantially narrows the authority of federal and state agencies and places barriers to community, state and tribal nations' oversight.
It would greenlight more toxic discharges of pollutants such as "forever chemicals" into rivers and lakes.
It would fast-track projects that destroy wetlands and further flooding.
It excludes millions of miles of streams and acres of wetlands from federal protection.
It restricts environmental oversight through shortcuts to judicial review and regulatory challenges.
H.R. 3898 was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and could advance to a full House vote. A companion Senate bill has not been introduced, but the Senate is also discussing “permitting reform,” focused on potential changes to the National Environmental Policy Act as well as the Clean Water Act. It is possible that this could be combined with pieces of the PERMIT Act in some future Senate bill. This would be equally, if not more, damaging.
ACTION: Please contact your House Representative and urge opposition to this damaging bill, and ask your Senators to watch for and oppose any similar Senate Bill.
CONTACT: Your Representative & Senators in Congress
Web: www.senate.gov, www.house.gov; leave a message via “Contact” on his/her website
Tel: 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard – ask for his/her office & leave a message)
Mail: Senator or Representative (first and last name) U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 or U. S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Send a letter-to-the-editor or your local paper on this topic to educate others.
