North Austin News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and over 100 bipartisan colleagues have sent a letter to Senate and House Armed Services Committees leaders, urging the inclusion of language from the Building Chips in America Act in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill aims to streamline environmental review for projects in McCaul's CHIPS for America Act, which would maximize the potential to onshore semiconductor chip manufacturing.

In a statement, Rep. McCaul emphasized the national security importance of boosting domestic production of semiconductor chips. He said, "With our adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party growing increasingly aggressive and seeking to monopolize the chip market, we cannot afford to burden U.S. companies with unnecessary bureaucracy and years-long delays. Too much is at stake."

The CHIPS for America Act, signed into law last year, has already prompted companies to announce plans for billions of dollars in new domestic chip manufacturing projects. However, progress on these projects has been hindered by onerous federal environmental regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The Building Chips in America Act, which would streamline NEPA review requirements for semiconductor manufacturing projects, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support as an amendment to the Senate NDAA in July. Rep. McCaul and his colleagues are now urging Senate and House leaders to maintain these permitting reforms during the negotiation of a final, compromise version of the NDAA.

The letter states, "Interruptions and delays to semiconductor manufacturing projects would undermine the goals of the CHIPS Act and exacerbate risks to our economic and national security, without providing additional benefits for environmental protection."

The inclusion of the language from the Building Chips in America Act in the NDAA would ensure that the CHIPS for America Act can be fully realized and that the United States can maximize its potential to onshore semiconductor chip manufacturing.

To find out more, go to this link: https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-118-colleagues-send-bipartisan-bicameral-letter-urging-inclusion