Witness: Arkansas permitting faster than federal process; loss of nationwide permits would harm electric co-ops

At a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, a witness representing electric cooperatives said state-level permitting in Arkansas moves faster and with clearer communication than federal permitting and warned that failure to reauthorize nationwide permits would be "detrimental. Very detrimental."

The witness praised the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, saying the agency has delegated authority for Clean Water Act Section 401 and provides predictable timelines: "If they tell me it's gonna be 60 days, I get it in 60 days," the witness said. By contrast, the witness described working with federal…