Thursday, Representative Celeste Maloy (UT-02) reintroduced the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act in the 119th Congress, aiming to reform the federal permitting process. The legislation proposes a “permit-by-rule” (PBR) system to expedite approvals and reduce bureaucratic delays. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Ted Budd (R-NC) are championing the measure in the Senate.

“Utah is growing rapidly. Unfortunately, executive agencies are often excruciatingly slow at granting permits, delaying critical projects that support rapid growth — especially in states like Utah where the majority of the land is federally controlled,” said Rep. Maloy in a press release. “The time is now to reform and streamline the permitting processes. I'm excited to see that President Trump, by executive order, has already directed his administration to begin that reformation – including through permit-by-rule – and I look forward to working with Senator Lummis and Senator Budd on advancing this bill.”

A permit-by-rule system would allow applicants to self-certify compliance with predetermined criteria. Agencies would then have 180 days to review applications; if no decision is made, the permit would be automatically granted. Federal agencies retain the ability to deny non-compliant applications and verify compliance as necessary.

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“The federal permitting process has become years-long, which discourages investment and innovation altogether,” said Senator Lummis. “Implementing permit-by-rule processes will streamline approvals and help us address backlogs.”

Senator Budd emphasized the broader implications of the reform, stating, “All too often, the federal permitting process is slow, expensive, and confusing. Now Congress should make this policy permanent to reduce bureaucratic delays and compliance costs, and create a transparent and predictable regulatory environment.”

The FREE Act also requires agencies to evaluate their permitting systems and report to Congress within 240 days on whether PBR could be implemented or justify why it cannot. Eligible permits must transition to the PBR system within 12 months.

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This legislation represents a bipartisan effort to improve efficiency, foster growth, and modernize the federal permitting framework.

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