(Photo courtesy of Sen. Sinema’s Press Office)
By AZ Big Media
On Aug. 10, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spoke to members of the Greater Phoenix Chamber about her recent legislative accomplishments and the importance of bipartisanship to getting things done in Congress. Arizona, she says, has grown into a major economic engine for the nation thanks in part to the state’s higher education system and business friendly climate.
“We have fostered an economy that stands apart,” she says. “Arizona is now home to multinational companies, and those investments continue to grow thanks to our CHIPS and Science law last year. Companies like TSMC and Intel continue to expand in Arizona, bringing strong careers and increased opportunities to our communities.”
To help projects such as these move forward across the U.S., Sinema shepherded a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that speeds up the permitting process. This change allows for production to get up and running quickly, which Sinema says is important not only for bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S., but for national security.
“According to the current law,” Sinema explains, “the [National Environmental Policy Act] process adds basically two years to siting and building these facilities. The amendment that we successfully included in the National Defense Authorization Act reduces that so that you’re not having to stack the permitting on top of each other — it reduces it to all be one set of permitting.”
