Governors announce working group on energy, infrastructure construction
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, vice chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), joined Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in announcing they had formed a bipartisan working group to collaborate on energy and infrastructure delivery processes.
The group will meet to improve the process, the governors said, to provide better results for states and territories. Cox and Edwards were joined by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.
“Infrastructure investment and energy that is affordable and reliable are keys to unlocking opportunity in communities of all sizes,” the governors said in a statement. “The $1 trillion infrastructure package presents a historic opportunity to advance America’s ability to compete in the global economy, but the United States is among the slowest nations in the developed world in approving and completing infrastructure projects. We can accelerate the timeline for infrastructure and energy-related projects around the country while still protecting the environment. Governors are working together across party lines and state lines on common sense solutions to safely speed up the process to deliver energy and infrastructure benefits nationwide.”
The working group has already met in Washington, D.C., to share best practices and develop strategies for improving infrastructure delivery for projects ranging from energy generation to pipelines, electric transmission lines, rail lines, levees, and roads.
Cox and Edwards said the working group’s focus would be on ways to streamline the permitting process, address legal challenges and tackle procurement issues to speed up delivery for energy transmission projects, utility-scale energy generation projects, transportation projects, and mining and minerals projects.
