JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has joined a coalition of 21 states opposing the Army Corps of Engineer’s proposed review of Nationwide Permit 12 (“NWP 12”), a permit that serves critical energy and infrastructure needs within states by allowing entities to perform time-sensitive activities on infrastructure projects, such as construction and maintenance of projects, without project-specific approval.
“The Biden Administration is once again focusing on the wrong issue,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “Congress issued this permit to last for 5 years, so why is the federal government trying to review it only a year after its most recent issuance? Americans don’t need more bureaucratic red tape that raises energy prices. The Biden Administration needs to ease regulatory burdens right now, not create more.”
As the letter states, altering NWP 12 will harm existing infrastructure projects and “threaten the delivery of reliable energy, existing pipeline safety, and the ability to comply with other federal laws and regulations.” The letter asserts that amidst rising energy prices, continuity of work on projects that provide energy and infrastructure are critical, and that the disruption of said work on projects would simply target everyday Americans.
In addition to Missouri, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming joined the letter.
The letter can be read here: https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/montana-osg-nwp-12-comment-final.pdf?sfvrsn=62513d67_2