Western Governors voice support for the Building Chips in America Act, encourage comprehensive permitting reform

In correspondence with Congressional leadership, Western Governors expressed their support for measures in the bipartisan and bicameral Building Chips in America Act that would streamline the environmental review process for projects receiving funding under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, while protecting environmental resources, ensuring public participation, and facilitating timely decision making. The letter of March 7, 2024, signed by the Chair of the Western Governors’ Association, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, and Vice Chair, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, also encouraged Congress to work on comprehensive permitting reforms that increase transparency, accessibility, and agency accountability for all projects. “This,” the letter read, “is critical to increasing the pace and scale of land management projects, including those for wildfire mitigation, ecosystem resilience, habitat restoration, and invasive species management, addressing infrastructure needs, and decreasing our reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals.” Read the full correspondence for additional details.


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