House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., remains optimistic that there will be bipartisan support for a permitting overhaul this Congress, legislation he said is necessary to modernize the nation’s bedrock environmental regulations.
Westerman, currently in his fifth term, took over the chairmanship in January after one term as the ranking member. While the committee has a reputation as a forum for strong disagreements, Westerman said it is a “fun” panel to work on since many of those disagreements are born from a passion for the issues at hand.
Last week, his committee considered changes to one of the nation’s main environmental regulations, the National Environmental Policy Act, which has been a topic of fierce debate. This included two hearings on bills introduced by Westerman and Rep. Garret Graves, R-La.
