Coalition Letter on Federal Permitting Reform
In a previous edition of this newsletter, we informed you of the Illinois Chamber signing on to a US Chamber-led coalition letter on federal permitting reform. That letter has now been sent to Congress with over 350 organizations from across the country calling on Congress to "Permit America to Build."
The full letter is provided below.
Today, the single biggest obstacle to building the infrastructure of the future is a broken permitting system. That is why the undersigned list of diverse groups across the country and economy is calling on Congress to Permit America to Build by enacting meaningful, durable legislation to modernize America’s permitting processes before the end of the summer.
Public and private sector infrastructure projects will improve our economy and the lives of millions of Americans. Investing in highways, bridges, transit systems, and ports will move people and goods more quickly and efficiently. Building new energy production, transmission, and distribution projects promises to improve energy reliability and reduce emissions. Expanding access to broadband can close the digital divide, and rebuilding failing water systems will ensure safe drinking water. And we can strengthen our national security by expanding domestic production of critical technologies and the raw materials they require. But America cannot accomplish any of this if the outdated, inefficient, and unpredictable permitting process is not improved.
We are pleased to see support for modernizing our permitting process from across the ideological spectrum, and a recognition that the current system is broken. We know there are differing perspectives in Congress on how best to address current challenges. Our organizations will not agree on every issue. We are committed, however, to working with Congress to find solutions and pass meaningful and durable legislation.
As a starting point, we are united on the following principles:
- Predictability – Project developers and financers must have an appropriate level of certainty regarding the scope and timeline for project reviews, including any related judicial review.
- Efficiency – Interagency coordination must be improved to optimize public and private resources while driving better environmental and community outcomes.
- Transparency – Project sponsors and the public must have visibility into the project permitting milestones and schedule through an easily accessible public means.
- Stakeholder Input – All relevant stakeholders must be adequately informed and have the opportunity to provide input within a reasonable and consistent timeframe.
This effort won’t be easy but must be pursued to take full advantage of the once-in-a-generation investment opportunities before us. We are confident that this Congress can pass meaningful and durable legislation. We urge you to do so before the end of the summer.
To view a full list of organizations that signed on to this letter click here.
CGFA Monthly Briefing March 2023
In the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) monthly briefing for March, an article on comparing economic output within the industrial Midwest region was provided. The introduction to this section beginning with Real GDP is provided below.
The first indicator examined was real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is a comprehensive measure of U.S. economic activity that measures the value of the final goods and services produced in the United States adjusted for inflation. As can be seen in the following chart, Illinois fell into a recession similar to the rest of the country. Real GDP fell between 9.6% to 13.3% in total. A return to growth began in the third quarter of 2020. However, Illinois and Pennsylvania did not bounce back quite as fast as Michigan, Ohio, and the country as a whole. In the first quarter of 2021, Illinois grew 11.8% (on an annualized basis) and separated itself from Pennsylvania. Since then, Illinois has gained ground on the other states and the U.S., but remains slightly behind them overall.
According to current estimates, Illinois’s real GDP was 3.1% higher in the 3rd quarter of 2022 compared to where it was at in the fourth quarter of 2019 (the quarter before the pandemic). This is behind the 4.4% growth seen by the U.S. as a whole. Of the other states compared, Michigan saw the largest amount of growth at 4.7%. Ohio was similar to Illinois at 3.4%, while Pennsylvania was lowest at 1.1%. Overall, Illinois ranks 30th in growth of total real GDP since the beginning of the pandemic compared to the rest of the states plus the District of Columbia. Michigan ranked 18th, Ohio 29th, and Pennsylvania 40th.
To continue reading on this comparison click HERE.
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