Congressmen Brett Guthrie and Gary Palmer have announced a hearing to discuss permitting reform under the Clean Air Act. The event, titled “From Gridlock to Growth: Permitting Reform Under the Clean Air Act,” is set for September 16, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET in the Rayburn House Office Building. This initiative by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce aims to address what they describe as “red tape and burdensome permitting requirements” that hinder U.S. economic growth.
The hearing will consider several bills, including the New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act (H.R. 161) and others focused on reducing duplicative environmental regulations and clarifying emissions standards for economic stability. The public and press are invited to attend or watch via live stream at energycommerce.house.gov.
Mark Gebbia, Vice President of Environmental, Regulatory, and Permitting at Williams USA, testified before the Subcommittee on Environment about the need for reforms to the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) program. He highlighted that U.S. electricity demand is expected to rise by 32% by 2040 due to AI data centers and industrial reshoring. Gebbia argued that current NSR processes are outdated and impede infrastructure development.
Gebbia suggested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should exclude modern gas turbines from stringent NSR thresholds and exempt certain generators from specific environmental programs since they do not sell power to the grid. He also recommended changes to allow more pre-permit site work and expedite reclassification of areas like Utah County for development purposes.
On a legislative level, Gebbia urged Congress to update emission thresholds established in 1977, consider opt-out provisions for states regarding NSR, replace facility-specific analyses with broader standards compliance, and explore offset investments instead of strict emission limits.
He concluded that these reforms are essential for maintaining U.S. competitiveness in AI while supporting environmental protection goals.
For inquiries about the hearing, contact Jackson Rudden or Ben Mullany through their provided emails.
Information from this article can be found here.
