First Things First

Reforming a 40-Year Old Permitting Process is a Must

Lots of people ask, “Why does it take so long to build anything anymore?”

A delayed project to protect a town in New York from storms like Hurricane Sandy illustrates the problem:

In Rye, a 100-foot sea wall costing only about $1 million required approvals from ten federal, state, or local government agencies, and the town retained environmental, engineering, and grants-management consultants so that it could apply for federal funding and proceed with the rebuilding.

If we want improved infrastructure and a cleaner environment, we need to improve how projects get federal permits so they can be built. The Trump administration is on the right track with its proposal to modernize National Environmental Policy Act – NEPA – regulations.

Last revised in the 1970s, NEPA was created to protect the environment. But recently, misuse of the law has blocked energy and infrastructure developments that could yield significant benefits.

“We haven’t modernized the rules for projects since 1978,” said Ed Mortimer, vice president of the U.S. Chamber for Transportation and Infrastructure, at a press conference in Denver earlier this week. “At the same time, the infrastructure in this country, most of it was built 80 to 100 years ago … You look at other parts of the world that are making these modernizations, and the U.S. is falling behind.”

Transportation projects that could reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, like Maryland’s Purple Line, have been delayed. Renewable energy projects, like an offshore windfarm off of Massachusetts, have also gotten bogged down for years waiting for permits.

Improving the permitting process will improve vehicle fuel efficiency, connect renewable power to households and businesses, and minimize water pollution and waste.

Modernizing NEPA regulations doesn’t alter environmental protections. “This is not about anti-regulation,” Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, told the Christian Science Monitor. “It’s about having a smart process in place and a certain process in place, so that we can get decisions that will unlock the investment necessary to get these projects built as critical infrastructure.”

Helping renewable energy projects and improved infrastructure (power lines and transportation) get permitted faster and built sooner will reduce carbon emissions and help make our economy more resilient.

Diving In

The NBA’s All-Star Game is this weekend in Chicago. The last time it was in the Windy City, Michael Jordan launched into the air and became an icon:

“I looked up into the box seats and came across the guy who started it all, Dr. J,” Jordan later told the press, alluding to the jam Julius Erving popularized at the 1976 ABA dunk contest. “He told me to go back all the way, go the length of the floor, then take off from the free throw line.” Jordan needed two tries to put the ball through the rim, but the dunk earned him a 50 and victory in a showdown that has endured.

…

A pair of famous photographs would help elevate Jordan’s free throw line dunk to immortal status: a view from beneath the basket by Sports Illustrated’s Walter Iooss Jr. and a sideline shot by Bulls team photographer Bill Smith. Rendered on posters, those two images graced the bedroom walls of countless children of the 1980s and ’90s, including some NBA-bound ballers.

Smith had seen Jordan practice the free throw line dunk and believed the profile would be the most dramatic angle. “I thought, the shot’s gotta be midflight, capturing the distance and the height, the immense space between the free throw line and the basket, between his feet and the ground,” he recalls. “I had to pick him up with pinpoint focus in a split second to catch him in midair. I remember thinking, ‘I hope I don’t screw this up.’” Smith dropped his film off at an all-night processing lab several blocks from Chicago Stadium. “I worried about it all night long and could hardly sleep: Was the shot crooked? Did Michael blink? Would the lab have a light leak in their system? A lot could go wrong. I came back the next morning, right when they opened. I went through all the rolls of film, like, Where’s the Michael shot? When I saw it, it was just a moment of exhilaration and relief. I’d nailed it: the determined look on his face, the ball cocked back in his hand. In the background, you could see the anticipation, the crowd and the other contestants holding their breath as he was floating.”

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Caught My Eye

That’s a lot of roses and candy. Americans will spend record amounts on Valentine’s Day, the National Retail Federation forecasts.

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The Big Picture

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno (lower center) visited the U.S. Chamber earlier this week.

Looking Ahead

February 28, 2020: The U.S. Chamber Foundation will host the Early Education Summit: Economic Impact on the States. It gathers early education and business communities together to discuss the impact of how childcare challenges affect a state’s workforce participation and economy.

March 5, 2020: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's annual Aviation Summit will bring together a lineup of well-respected leaders in aviation to discuss the many challenges and opportunities facing the aviation industry, including rich conversations on international flight, advancements in aviation technology, and opportunities and challenges facing the field.

March 16, 2020: The U.S. Chamber will host the Transatlantic Business Works Summit, highlighting the benefits of the world's largest bilateral trade and investment relationship. The event attracts policymakers, thought leaders, business executives from the U.S. and Europe.

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