Jimmy Patronis backs bill to loosen Clean Water Act regulations

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis is on board with a movement to reduce the impacts of the Clean Water Act and ease some restrictions on development.

Patronis, a Republican in Florida’s 1st Congressional District in the Panhandle, voted with many of his colleagues in favor of the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT Act HR 3893). Many Republicans say the proposed measure is designed to “reduce red tape.”

The proposal “eliminated duplicative and costly Clean Water Act permit requirements that do not improve environmental safety,” according to a House GOP statement.

The PERMIT Act, drafted by U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, would also provide amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Patronis voted in favor of the measure, saying it’s long overdue.

“I am honored to support the passage of the PERMIT Act that will streamline … permitting, while ensuring the environment is protected,” Patronis said. “We must keep the government out of our backyards and restore power to the states.”

The measure has yet to go to the full floor of the U.S. Senate for consideration.

But the bill, according to supporters, reduces costly project delays and unnecessary litigation. It provides certainty to infrastructure builders, farmers, water utilities and small businesses, according to wording in the measure.

The bill would limit the scope of the Clean Water Act, which was originally approved by Congress in 1972. When it comes to permitting under the Clean Water Act, the new measure Patronis supports would exclude waste treatment systems, prior converted cropland, groundwater, or features that are determined to be excluded by the U.S. Army Corps Engineers.

While conservatives in Congress support the PERMIT Act, the measure has drawn criticism from environmental activist organizations.

The Hydropower Reform Coalition assailed the proposal for what it says undercuts long-standing environmental protections for many of America’s waterways.

“This prevents states from considering upstream, downstream, or cumulative impacts of projects like dams, pipelines, or large-scale developments,” a Coalition analysis said. “Enforcement authority would rest only with federal permitting agencies, leaving states unable to enforce the very conditions they might place on a project.”