Momentum for permitting reform is continuing to build in Washington, as national focus centers on investing in domestic energy infrastructure. Last week, lawmakers and industry leaders from both sides of the aisle spoke up at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum and POLITICO’s Energy Summit and made the case that Congress cannot afford to delay action. According to Senator Alan Armstrong (R-Okla):
“People really need to get loud on this.”
Across Washington, speakers pointed to a common challenge: the current environmental review and permitting process has become too slow, too unpredictable, and increasingly misaligned with the pace of rising energy and infrastructure demand.
Supporters argue that reform is necessary not only to accelerate project development, but also to strengthen affordability, reliability, and long-term economic competitiveness.
Advocates in the Senate are Spreading the Word
With the through the House and Senate committees now negotiating a broader permitting package, prominent Senators are speaking out on why advancing permitting reform is a bipartisan necessity.
Last week, Armstrong, formerly CEO of pipeline giant Williams, spoke at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum on why permitting reform is one of the most pressing issues before Congress.
Armstrong opened his talk by emphasizing the gravity of this reform for the American economy:
“The issue really is that we are slowly strangling ourselves as a country from being able to have access to our resources.”
He moved on to clarify how his experience in the industry motivated him to focus on this issue:
“The contributions I can make really come from seeing it from the outside and … seeing what actually causes things to get stopped.”
Industry experts have long shared similar concerns, detailing how the current permitting process lacks transparency and can lead to impactful delays. Sen. Armstrong closed his talk with an appeal to colleagues on the other side of the aisle, warning that:
“As a country we cannot afford to not get this done right now.”
Bipartisan Committee Leaders Come Together
At POLITICO’s Energy Summit, lawmakers once again highlighted the importance of advancing permitting reform. The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), both discussed the proposed reforms and underscored the growing momentum behind this effort.
Sen. Capito emphasized the broad coalition that has formed around permitting reform and the increasing recognition that permitting delays affect far more than the energy sector:
“We have never had a better opportunity than we have right now … I think the coalition that we’ve put together of all kinds of energy but also transportation, manufacturing, communications, space, any kind of folks who want to build in this country, realize that permitting is an obstacle, and has been.”
Her remarks reflected a theme that has become increasingly common in recent permitting discussions: the benefits of improving project timelines are not limited to one industry but tied to broader economic growth and infrastructure development.
She also noted that growing energy demand has led leaders across the political spectrum to focus on the shared issue:
“Now, [the projects that can benefit are] renewables, wind and solar, pipelines, nuclear … and it combines with this absolute hunger for energy production. An insatiable desire for more energy is driving a lot of this.”
The Time Is Right to Advance Reform
Leaders on both sides of the aisle agree that conditions may be aligning for movement on the permitting reform, particularly as conversations around affordability, reliability, and infrastructure buildout continue to intensify heading into midterms. Any Senate package will still need additional Democratic support to reach the 60-vote threshold, with some Democratic Senators planning to stall until they see greater protections for renewables. In a January hearing, Sen. Capito warned that permitting reform is necessary for the United States to stay competitive in the global energy landscape, underscoring the urgency to act.
Addressing what it would take to get permitting reform across the finish line before midterm elections, Sen. Armstrong said:
“You’re going to have to have some very motivated and excited moderate Dems that are willing to put pressure on that issue, and I will tell you I actually think that probably exists, but it is going to take some courage by those moderate Dems to bring some pressure to leadership to actually address this issue.”
Bottom line: There’s no question that permitting reform is a bipartisan priority, as leaders across Washington continue to make the case that existing approval processes are slowing critical investment and delaying infrastructure development. A more predictable permitting system would help essential projects move forward more efficiently and allow the United States to meet rising energy demand, therefore strengthening long-term affordability and competitiveness.
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