Move out to of our nominees that are currently pending before the committee. We obviously have to have the requisite number of members here. So until such time as we have a quorum, we will move to our scheduled full Committee Hearing on infrastructure permitting, if were able to get the quorum of 12 we will take up the businessman at that point in time. I would anticipate that it would be relatively quick. So with that, we have names on the table in front of us, but i would invite you each to come to the table as a provide an opening statement. Mr. Casing, ms. Fleagle, astroturfing, mr. Brown, ms. Caruso and mr. Russell if just want to join us there. We are here today to discuss infrastructure permitting challenges ongoing efforts to streamline federal approvals and opportunities to improve the responsiveness, the transparency and the predictability of our system of permit review. I think we all recognize the need to make investments that will both upgrade and modernize our infrastructure. We that hearings in this committee, many hearings took specific at the knees and energy and the resource sectors but as looking to discuss Energy Infrastructure its important that we take steps to rationalize how projects are reviewed and approved. Existing Regulatory Regime impacts the cost effectiveness of our federal infrastructure spending. Jan the on that the link and uncertainty associate with the permitting process limits the willingness of the private sector to finance, build, and operated in her infrastructure. This drives dollars overseas rather than into jobs and growth and prosperity for our nation. So whether were talking about a pipeline, a mine, powerplay, Publicprivate Partnership for water system or a Company Building a factory we know that the Plymouth Capital is too often delayed sometimes by years, and sometimes deliberately. When investment is impeded, how can we expect capital to be deployed where an Environmental Impact statement alone averages almost five years, and final approval can take a decade or more . You look to other countries, for example, canada and germany are moving similar projects in just a couple of years. I look forward hearing from federal witnesses are working to make our system work better and hearing about the permitting reforms of fast 41 which we enacted roughly two years ago, and how those are being implemented. Im also pleased that three nonfederal witnesses who have experience or they might say perhaps too long of an experience, navigating the federal permitting guideline for electric transmission, hydropower and mining projects. New and upgraded transmission lines are crucial to a reliable and secure electric grid and to bring new sources of energy to our markets. Despite that, the number of federal, state and local agencies involved in a single project makes permitting notoriously cumbersome. We talked at length about the challenges of licensing and relicensing hydro facilities. I tell people about the time that is involved in relicense, its almost breathtaking. They need to fix the process because a number projects up for relicensing increases dramatically over the next decade. Finally when it comes to permitting delays for new minds our nation is among the worst in the world. Its lead as to be given on four nation for the fundamental Building Blocks of a wide range of energy, defense, healthcare, and other modern technologies. The energy and Natural Resources act senator cantwell and i reintroduced this year has provisions that take important steps to streamline project reviews in all three of these industries. This is an important bill that will help make need of progress but also recognize that the challenges we will hear about today represent a subset of the infrastructure sectors that are also struggling to permit projects. Whether its energy production, pipelines, pump storage, water supply, lng or something else, our system needs to be improved across the board. We absolutely have the ability to establish a permitting process that works, one that protects the environment and promotes state and local input while not my ring projects in red tape and driving away private investment. And to achieve that goal we have to set aside and misguided idea that accelerating or coordinating approvals somehow weakens those protections or that simply spending more money with six all the problems. It doesnt get we know that. It wont work. Both common sense and experience tell us that we can maintain our high standards while speeding reviews and approvals. So i view this hearing as the next and in our effort to improve our nations infrastructure. I look forward the insights and ideas from our witnesses to do just that. Thank you all for being here with us this morning. Senator cantwell, i welcome your comments. Thank you, madam chair. I certainly welcome this infrastructure permitting oversight hearing, but i do think its interesting the wall street journal reported this last week and that President Trump will roll out and infrastructure plan in january, proposing to undergoing a spending offset by cutting other federal programs. So before we start victory veri just want to remind my colleagues that the tax proposal before us is trying to be jammed through when we could be having this discussion right now about infrastructure investment. We started the year with a lot of conversation between our colleagues, our leader, senator schumer, and speaker ryan, about doing an infrastructure built they got set aside. I just want to make sure that people understand weve been more than willing to talk about our crumbling infrastructure for a long time. So this morning we going to hear about permitting reform which is a good discussion, but we need and infrastructure built that is about funding. Im proud over the last two years that the chair, senator murkowski, and i have tried to address the permitting issues on hydro and Critical Minerals and we pass legislation out of the senate that has not made it to a final process because of our house collects lack of interest in making sure that we take up these issues of improving hydro and other issues. So part of the issue i believe is making sure we adequately fund permitting agencies. Please chad brown is hip and Washington Department of ecology, accredited they have been credited with an Innovative Solution for hydro resources and dam owners for money to create reviews on time. I believe this is a good monologue and look for to hearing about this one. I think he could work on a federal level as well. We should provide dedicated licensees directed to resource agencies. I please with a witness who can speak to the experience with the Western Area Power Administration on transmission programs. I hope my colleagues will agree that federal programs that support investing in transmission deserve our support. And when it comes to the department of the interior, i definitely want to make sure that we have the questions you. I think secretary zinke has been very upfront in his actions at department of the interior. It seems like its just the weather you want information to drill, and if so did you get the keys to whatever public lands. In less than hear the interior department has left 750 million and taxpayer royalties on the table and the sectors abandon his obligation to stop natural gas wastes, something that we basically in the senate said very strongly that we wanted to continue to see, the management of methane flaring. So he has ditched safe grouse plants negotiate by state because ditched master leasing plan. Is skipped Public Comment periods illegally suspending regulations and turned things on its head. President trump has allowed his advice to strip protection from 2 million acres and the largest rollback of public lands production in history opening pristine does it pay to drilling and mining. The Washington Post confirmed over the weekend that the department of Energy Fuels Resource petition interior to open up areas to uranium mining and secretary zinke has proposed even more rollback. When it comes to having these issues the sort i hope will take into context the larger things that are happening as well. I know that will hear a lot from our witnesses, and remain to committing dash i remain committed to improving our processes but were protecting things are in taxpayers interest. Thank you, madam chair. Thank you send it. Lets do turn to our panel heree joint this morning by mr. James casing, associate deputy secretary at the department of intricate we welcome you this morning. Ms. Janet pfleeger is the acting executive director for the federal permitting and prove it steering council. Thank you for joining us. Mr. Terry turpin is the director for the office of Energy Projects at ferc. Mr. Chad brown and senator cantwell note is the Water QualityManagement Unit supervisor at the Washington Department of ecology. We thank you for traveling across country. Ms. Roxane perruso as a Vice President and general counsel for transwestern express. Thank you for being here, and mr. Luke russell is with us from Hecla Mining Company ways a Vice President for external affairs. So we welcome each of you to the committee. We would ask that you provide your comments and hopefully in about five minutes or so, your full status will be included as part of the record and once you have completed your comments will have an opportunity for questions. And again if we need to interrupt because we need to do a quick business meeting, we certainly hope you understand. Mr. Case and, if like to begin. Thank you, madam chair. I for one will be very happy with a break for what youre planning to do. Chairman murkowski, Ranking Member cantwell, members of the committee, my name is james cason. I serve as the associate deputy secretary of the department of the interior. Thank you for inviting me to testify today on the departments efforts to improve the efficiency and accountability of federal permitting for Infrastructure Projects. I asked my entire written record, or my entire written statement be incorporated in the record. It will be included. Thank you. As well everyone elses. Thank you. The department is aware that the president has a vision for empowering the private sector as well a state and local governments through infrastructure enhancements and improvements. Interior believes that creating greater efficiencies in the overall federal permitting process is crucial to addressing infrastructure needs. Executive order 13807 ignited and administration wide assessment about how best to address inefficiencies in the current Infrastructure Project decisions that delay investments. Decrease job creation or costly to the american taxpayer. In turn the department sign a secretary order 3355 which includes setting page and time limitations for most of our mental impact statements, setting target page and time limitations for preparation of environmental assessments. Reviewing the departments could procedures and providing recommendations to streamline the process, and implementing eo 13807 to the fullest extent possible. We believe our efforts to accelerate and streamline compliance efforts will also help us achieve our responsible Energy Development goals. Executive order 1373 directed agencies to immediately review and report on all Agency Actions that potentially burden the safe Efficient Development of Domestic Energy resources. In turn the Department Released the quote review of department of the interior actions that potentially burden Domestic Energy report on october 252017. We believe the report as a useful tool to reduce the impediments to processes including permitting to promote safe, Efficient Development of Domestic Energy resources. My written testimony further discusses interiors efforts regarding offshore energy as well as implementation of title 41 of the fixing americas surface transportation act, or fast act. Chairman murkowski, appreciative to testify before the committee and i look forward to answering questions. Thank you, mr. Cason. Ms. Pfleeger, welcome. Chairman murkowski, Ranking Member cantwell, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. The federal permitting improvement steering council, known as the permitting council, was created by title 41 of the fast act, known as fast 41. Past anyone brings accountability and transparency to what has been for too long and uncertain and unpredictable process. Fast 40 what upholds existing environmental laws and statutory responsibilities of the 16 permitting counsel agencies. Additionally asked 41 is a voluntary program in which project sponsors apply to become covered projects. As acting executive director of the privy council my office and the counselor bringing about a new way of doing business to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal permitting process for complex Infrastructure Projects in our nation. The permitting counsel is comprised of top leadership, deputy secretary or equivalent, so they can ensure permit streamlining occurs throughout all levels of the organizations, including at the very important field level. In addition to preventing council is working with the administration to improve the permitting process through executive order 13807 establishing discipline and accountability and Environmental Review and permitting process for Infrastructure Projects. The authors executive director, oed, overseas act 41 implication serves as a onestop shop for project sponsors. Oed is changing institutional behavior and culture, enhancing agency collaboration, resolving disputes, assuring transparency in the permitting process, and ensuring agencies better coordinate and synchronize Environmental Reviews and authorizations. My office is focus on three areas that i would like to highlight for you. Early and formalized cross agency coordination, increased transparency through the permitting dashboard, and project specific ordination and dispute resolution. To my first point, fast 41 requires the development of interagency coordinated project plans, cpp, an essential tool for cross Agency Planning and to put many best practices. The initial development and quarterly updates of cpp formalized interagency collaboration. This allows difficult issues to be addressed early in the process to prevent confusion and delays later in the process. Moving forward, my office is working with agencies to ensure cbps emphasize concurrent rather than sequential permitting actions. Earlier this month the permitting counsel released its 2018 recommended best practices for infrastructure permitting. The office will be ensuring agencies if imitation of these best practices to generate efficiencies in the permitting process and executive director is required to report to congress each april on agency progress. The permitting dashboard breaks an unprecedented degree of transparency to the process. The timetables of the dashboard list target completion date for permits each quarter by office and the permitting Agency Review those dates and my office enforces restrictions for modifications to those dates. With nationwide visibility and a builtin accountability structure, a dashboard provides the public, project sponsors and other stakeholders with clarity and certainty in the permitting process. To my third point, project sponsors have contacted my office for help with specific issues such as when a sponsor receives contradictory information from headquarters and field offices or when agencies working together on a project disagree on a path forward. A notable success in this very was my office using the past 41 dispute resolution process to address a stalled review. The resulting coordination among agencies allowed subsequent authorizations to move forward and as relayed by the project sponsor save an estimated six months and 300 million in capital cost to the project. Going Forward Office will continue to use the fast 41 tools of oversight, transparency, collaboration and accountability to improve the permitting process. The fiscal year 2018 president s budget request of 10 million provides the funding support we need to fully use these fast 41 tools. After projects come on board from the start it will benefit from enhanced transparency coordination and agency and accountability of fast 41. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and i welcome your questions. Mr. Turpin, welcome to the committee. Thank you. Good morning chairman murkowski and Ranking Member cantwell and members of the committee. My name is terry turpin and im director of the office of Energy Products at the federal Energy Regulatory commission. The office responsible for taking a lead role in carrying out the commissions duties and cited for such projects including nonfatal hydropower projects, Natural Gas Pipelines and Storage Facilities and liquefied terminals. Thank you for the opportunity to appea