With fewer than 50 in-session days left of the 118th Congress, time is running out to push critical permitting reform legislation across the finish line. Yet, time is of the essence to unleash the power of American energy to drive down global emissions.
The alarm bells are ringing. Global energy demand is skyrocketing and with it, concerns about our environmental impact. As the world’s energy demands grow, we must think about the trilemma: affordable, reliable, and clean. The vast majority of projects delayed by permitting hurdles are clean energy projects, creating a clear incentive for the United States to get serious about building new energy projects. Permitting reform in the U.S. unlocks our ability to satisfy all three goals.
In the Senate, the Energy Permitting Reform Act is the result of months of bipartisan negotiating. The robust legislation tackles permitting challenges for all forms of energy, transmission buildout, mining, and more. While some green groups have loudly voiced their opposition to the bill taking an all-of-the-above approach to permitting reform that would unlock both traditional and clean energy, a recent study demonstrates that it would also result in net emissions reduced. Moreover, a coalition of groups from all over the ideological spectrum has thrown its support behind the proposal.
Meanwhile in the House, Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) has circulated a discussion draft of a permitting reform bill utilizing his committee’s jurisdiction to address judicial review and hurdles specifically presented by the National Environmental Policy Act. Enacting this legislation would reduce the impact of frivolous lawsuits on clean energy buildout and provide more certainty to companies.
Together, these bills represent incredible progress in streamlining our energy-permitting process and reversing our anti-build mindset in the U.S. The status quo of energy projects, largely clean energy projects, languishing on bureaucrats’ desks is unsustainable for both our economy and environment.
Our future must be fueled by clean American energy, and time is of the essence. On top of climate concerns, we’re losing out on an enormous economic and geopolitical opportunity to adversaries such as China. While the U.S. has constructed only two new nuclear reactors in almost 20 years, China has permitted and broken ground on more than a dozen in the last year with a goal of having more than 150 new plants online by 2035.
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The bottom line is that we don’t have time to wait 18 years for critical transmission infrastructure, decades for more nuclear energy, or indefinitely for critical mineral mining. Once upon a time, we were able to build big and impressive structures, with the Empire State Building completed in just over a year and the Hoover Dam constructed in less than five years. For reference, an environmental impact statement takes, on average, as long as it took to finish initial construction on the New York subway. The two efforts in both chambers are crucial steps forward to reduce regulatory burdens on desperately needed energy projects.
Getting any piece of legislation signed by the president is no small feat, especially during a contentious election year. Yet, this opportunity to unleash energy dominance and shape a cleaner, more abundant energy future is too good to squander. We must enact this permitting reform and let America build.
Chris Barnard is the president of the American Conservation Coalition Action. Follow him on X @ChrisBarnardDL.