Washington, DC— U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen American energy security by accelerating the permitting process for critical energy and mineral projects of all types in the United States.
“The United States of America is blessed with abundant natural resources that have powered our nation to greatness and allow us to help our friends and allies around the world. Unfortunately, today our outdated permitting system is stifling our economic growth, geopolitical strength, and ability to reduce emissions. After over a year of holding hearings in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, thoughtfully considering input from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and engaging in good faith negotiations, Ranking Member Barrasso and I have put together a commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation that will speed up permitting and provide more certainty for all types of energy and mineral projects without bypassing important protections for our environment and impacted communities. The Energy Permitting Reform Act will advance American energy once again to bring down prices, create domestic jobs, and allow us to continue in our role as a global energy leader. The time to act on it is now,” said Chairman Manchin.
“For far too long, Washington’s disastrous permitting system has shackled American energy production and punished families in Wyoming and across our country. Congress must step in and fix this process,” said Ranking Member Barrasso. “Our bipartisan bill secures future access to oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters. We fix the disastrous Rosemont decision so that we can produce more American minerals instead of relying on China. We permanently end President Biden’s reckless ban on natural gas exports. And we ensure we can strengthen our electric grid while protecting customers. This legislation is an urgent and important first step towards improving our nation’s broken permitting process.”
However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) says a deal to speed up the permitting process is dead.
The permitting process for energy projects was a part of the historic collaboration agreement signed by NAED, NECA, NEMA, and NEMRA at the NAED National Meeting last May. The agreement has a specific mention of “reducing project cycle times across target industries. NAED’s Senior Vice-President of Government Affairs and Strategic Projects Ed Orlet says this legislation is moving forward at an essential time. “The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 represents a critical step forward in modernizing and expediting the permitting process for energy and mineral projects across the United States, ensuring that our nation can meet its energy needs efficiently and sustainably,” Orlet said. “Grid modernization and capacity are national security issues that we can’t ignore. The aggressive decarbonization efforts envisioned by policymakers require more timely energy development with common sense environmental protections and regulatory oversight that enables grid expansion, as opposed to current practice that imposes layer after layer of bureaucratic roadblocks and delays.”
NECA’s Marco Giamberardino, Senior Vice-President of Government and Public Affairs, told tED magazine the contractor’s association is fully behind the bipartisan legislation. “Enacting permitting reform is critical to ensuring timely approval for projects. Recent reforms enacted by Congress have been a good step forward. However, critical reforms for transmission and distribution, grid reliability, onshore energy and minerals, and judicial review are still sorely needed,” Giamberardino stated. “NECA is pleased to endorse the Permitting Reform Act of 2024 as a means of solving these requirements. On behalf of our 4,000 electrical contractors across America, we thank Senators Manchin and Barrasso for their leadership and determination to get this legislation introduced. We urge the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible.”
Read the text of the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 here.
Read the section-by-section summary of the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 here.
Read the one-pager for the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 here.