In a letter to bill sponsors Cory Gardner (R-Colo) and Gene Green (R-Texas), Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist endorses H.R. 2021:
"On behalf of Americans for Tax Reform, I am writing in support of H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011. This legislation will remove the bureaucratic red tape that has denied entrepreneurs the opportunity to access important quantities of oil and gas off the coast of Alaska.
The Clean Air Act has forced energy production into an endless state of limbo. Even when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants a permit for exploration, the Administrator’s Environmental Appeals Board has a knack for undercutting the process and rejecting a permit that has already been granted – leading to out-of-control permitting delays. Thankfully, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act looks to alleviate this Washington-induced problem.
H.R. 2021 removes the uncertainty surrounding the Clean Air Act. The EPA would be afforded a six month window to consider applications for a permit, at which point they would issue a final decision. There will be no more bureaucratic, back and forth games between the EPA and the Appeals Board, as appeals will now be sent to the D.C. Circuit Court. The bill also makes commonsense, technical clarifications to the Clean Air Act which will make the entire process of energy exploration run much more smoothly.
With an estimated 27.9 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas available, ATR is excited to endorse legislation allowing for access to untapped sources of domestic energy. H.R. 2021 will create thousands of jobs, lowers costs, and help put America on a path to energy independence."