House Report Suggests At Least 20 Changes To Weaken NEPA - ENN

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON — Congress should change federal law to make it harder to bring lawsuits that can delay new roads, logging or other projects for years, a House task force said Monday. The task force recommended at least 20 changes to a landmark environmental law, but did not present draft legislation, and GOP leaders say they do not expect to offer a bill this year.

Republican leaders have been looking for ways to streamline the 36-year-old National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, which serves as the basis for federal management of public lands. The GOP-dominated task force issued its final report Monday after studying the issue for more than a year.

The panel's chairwoman, Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Wash., said it was premature to offer a bill, adding that she did not want the effort to get caught up in election-year politics. "I want to work to increase awareness and build coalitions that recognize there's room for improvements," McMorris said. The 23-page report, prepared by Republican staff of the House Resources Committee, recites a familiar litany of complaints, mostly involving delays associated with NEPA. The report notes that speakers at a series of public hearings said that lawsuits, or even threatened lawsuits, often add years and millions of dollars to a new road, housing development or logging project.

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Jim Zoia, Democratic staff director of the Resources panel, called the report virtually meaningless. Legislation creating the task force expired months ago, so the report has no official standing, he said.

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10974

[Turbineguy]

1. How about a limit

that you cannot sue until the average temperature of the planet reaches a certain point. Then with the usual legal delays and tricks, we should all be vaporizing about the time it goes to trial.