A bipartisan bill to expedite semiconductor manufacturing plant construction in America passed the U.S. House Monday night and was on its way to the president for his signature.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX). It removes what the legislators call “burdensome hurdles” to achieving environmental reviews and permits for microchip projects.
In October 2023, during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the importance of a strong U.S. chip manufacturing industry, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo highlighted how the National Environmental Policy Act and other permitting laws could significantly delay the implementation of the Administration’s CHIPS funding to spur chipmaking in America. She urged Congress to pass Senators Cruz and Kelly’s legislation. The Senate did so last December.
Cruz said the measure will streamline environmental permitting for semiconductor factories, “a crucial step in onshoring jobs and making our country less dependent on China for semiconductors critical to national defense.”
Kelly said, “By preventing unnecessary delays in the construction of microchip manufacturing facilities, this bill will help maximize our efforts to bring this industry back to America, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and strengthening our supply chains.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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