Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has introduced the Revising and Enhancing Project Authorizations Impacted by Review (REPAIR) Act. The bill aims to protect the permitting process for U.S. energy, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure projects from lawsuits that delay judicial reviews of approved projects. Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) also co-sponsored the legislation.

“Green activist groups have a pattern. They manipulate the legal system to keep infrastructure and energy projects in legal purgatory,” said Senator Cassidy. “Let’s end this and get the project moving again. It’s the only way to unleash American energy!”

Senator Risch remarked, “Critical domestic energy, natural resource, and manufacturing projects have been blocked by activist litigation for far too long, forcing the U.S. to rely on countries like China for resources available in our own backyard. The REPAIR Act would close judicial loopholes and eliminate years of unnecessary litigation that have hindered our ability to harness our own natural resources.”

Senator Crapo emphasized, “Off-shore energy projects face stiff headwinds in America. As we move toward greater American energy independence, the REPAIR Act would reduce the threat of frivolous lawsuits during the permitting and review process for new projects that can tie up proposals for years. Advancing this bill is an important step in furthering President Trump’s domestic energy agenda.”

The REPAIR Act proposes changes to the judicial review process of an approved permit. It ensures uniformity in the laws related to permitting, including the review process, scope of adjudication, rules for standing, and statute of limitations. The bill removes the option to file lawsuits based on the National Environmental Policy Act, focusing instead on the statute under which the permit was issued. In cases of judicial remand or other court actions, it establishes a mediation process for the project developer and permit-issuing agency to address challenges directly. The bill also seeks to increase transparency in ongoing court challenges to permits.

The legislation has received support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, ClearPath, the National Mining Association, and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES).