An act sponsored by U.S. Rep. for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District Mike Collins has passed committee.
The Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, or the PERMIT Act, passed the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.
The act looks to amend the Clean Water Act of 1972 by excluding certain bodies of water from its protection.
Collins said in a press release on Wednesday that this is to ease the burden of permit seekers and holders.
“The PERMIT Act delivers much-needed reform to the Clean Water Act that will overhaul permitting processes and reduce burdens on permit seekers. As we enter a new era with a renewed focus on domestic energy production and growth, this legislation delivers the tools that our country needs to build faster, smarter, and safer,” Collins said.
The specific amendment is to exclude waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons; short streams that only flow in response to precipitation; prior converted cropland; groundwater and “any other features determined to be excluded by the Administrator or the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers.”
Currently, the term navigable waters in the Clean Water Act is “the waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.”
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) also released a statement regarding the PERMIT act.
“This bill will unleash America’s power to build by cutting red tape, streamlining permitting processes, and providing regulatory certainty, all while continuing to protect clean water,” Graves said in the release. “The legislation does not overhaul or roll back the Clean Water Act; it instead makes targeted reforms to the law informed by on-the-ground feedback. I want to thank Chairman Collins and my other Committee members for their excellent work and contributions to this legislation.”
The PERMIT Act, or House Resolution 3898, will now go to the House floor for a vote after passing the committee 34-30.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/6/1292400/rep-collins-permit-act-passes-committee-will-go-to-house-floor-for-vote