In the early 1930s, the Empire State Building was constructed within about 13 months. Our 55-story Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta was built within a similar timeframe. Today, these construction schedules are uncommon.
Vital infrastructure projects suffer delays averaging over four years and often take decades to complete, because of cumbersome, confusing federal regulations. As a former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and chief of staff to Sen. Johnny Isakson, I watched onerous federal regulations hamper construction projects in our communities.
While I believe compliance with federal regulations are a must, I also believe the federal government should provide a commonsense regulatory framework that matches the pace of innovation. The National Environmental Policy Act falls short and must be revised.