H.R. 8247, Energy Sector Environmental Deregulation. Quorum's AI analysis reads it as a net cost — and names who bears it.
H.R. 8247 · Net cost
What it does
This bill creates a temporary interagency working group (led by the Department of Energy, including Interior, FERC, and Agriculture) tasked with aligning environmental review procedures across federal agencies. Within 360 days, the group must adopt each other's existing categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and jointly establish new categorical exclusions for electric transmission and battery storage projects that they determine do not significantly harm the environment. The group then dissolves after submitting a report to Congress.
The analysis names electric utility companies — and 3 more groups — among the beneficiaries.
The cost
Categorical exclusions eliminate the requirement for Environmental Impact Statements or Environmental Assessments, removing public notice-and-comment periods and citizen standing to challenge projects before they proceed. Citizens lose transparency and legal recourse.
The analysis put a high warning level on this bill. Transparency scores 65%, and the analysis found no provisions unrelated to the bill's subject.
Who is behind it
Filed by Josh Gottheimer. Cosponsored by Michael Lawler.