Next Congress may impact mine permitting process, more

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shared a memo with House Republicans previewing the agenda for the 114th Congress, writing that the next year and beyond will be about streamlining government agencies. McCarthy references a number of areas within the federal government that could be streamlined and specifically cites the current mine permitting process as a government failure that Congress can fix.

“It can take more than a decade to acquire all the government permits for a mineral production project,” McCarthy writes. “According to one report, the United States currently ranks last, along with Papua New Guinea, in permitting delays out of the 25 major mining countries.

“Inefficient, ineffective, and incompetent federal agencies, along with failed government policies, have real-world consequences,” he adds. “They hurt economic growth and job creation. Restoring economic growth and job creation will be the central policy goal of the next Congress, and restoring competence in government will be part of that effort.

In addition, McCarthy references MAP-21 and the Water Resources Reform and Development Act in his memo.

“We must work to end this cycle of failings and make government functional again,” McCarthy writes. “Building off our progress in the 2012 highway bill and WRRDA this year, a portion of our 2015 legislative agenda will focus on reforming and streamlining federal agencies so government works as it should.”