A growing coalition representing America’s energy and economic leadership is now urging Congress to act swiftly to finally modernize the permitting system and unlock new energy investment.  

Upon Congress’s return to Washington, D.C., a diverse group of business and energy organizations sent letters to House and Senate leaders calling for bipartisan permitting reform. 

In a letter to Congress signed by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Data Center Coalition, American Council on Renewable Energy, National Ocean Industries Association, and more, the business and energy groups wrote: 

“The time has come to modernize our nation’s permitting systems so that our communities can build the infrastructure necessary to grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”  

In a separate letter published in September, the Natural Gas Council highlighted the impact on U.S. energy security:  

“Clear, predictable infrastructure permitting processes remain instrumental to achieving our shared economic, security, and climate-related goals… the current processes to site and approve new and expanded infrastructure remain cumbersome, often stalling projects for years with duplicative reviews, unnecessarily burdensome approvals, and unending legal challenges.”  

The Natural Gas Council also stressed the need for immediate action to protect consumers: 

“These inefficiencies hamper access to domestic natural gas resources, creating reliance on imports, raising energy costs in certain regions, and, in the worst cases, limiting access to energy during periods of extreme weather.”  

The vast majority of voters also support faster permitting timelines to speed up energy projects. A recent poll from Cyngal shows that 66 percent of likely voters support modernizing permitting rules, especially when expected increases in electricity demand (and cost) are taken into account. 

Why Reform Is Needed Now 

America’s ability to build the infrastructure needed for reliable and affordable energy is being slowed by outdated permitting rules. Lengthy reviews and unpredictable approval timelines are preventing critical projects from moving forward.  

At the same time, rising electricity demand—driven by everything from manufacturing expansion to new data center construction—is putting additional strain on a grid already facing high costs and looming winter price spikes.  

The letters outline these and more reasons why Congress must move quickly: 

• Keeping Energy Affordable: Electricity prices are already high and are projected to surge this winter. The problem, industry leaders argue, is not utility pricing but infrastructure bottlenecks that delay new transmission and generation projects. 

• Supporting Economic Growth: Delays in approvals drive up project costs and undermine U.S. competitiveness. Permitting challenges are delaying infrastructure investments that are critical to maintaining America’s energy and economic leadership. 

• Modernizing the Grid: New technologies such as AI are fueling massive power demand. Without faster approvals, utilities and developers cannot add the generation and transmission capacity needed to keep pace. 

Will Permitting Finally Have Its Moment? 

Leaders in the House aim to place permitting reform at the center of the congressional agenda this fall.  

In July, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told Politico, “I want to see permitting reform this fall.” Citing bipartisan support for reform, Rep. Scalise said, “let’s give [Democrats] that opportunity to help us get it done.”  

One bipartisan bill is already moving ahead. Over the summer, House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced the SPEED Act, which aims to streamline reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. Changes to NEPA could unlock new development in energy, housing, and infrastructure across the country.  

Recognizing a need for a balanced approach, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) emphasized: 

“Being a good steward of our environment doesn’t mean we must tolerate a yearslong permitting process that is onerous, overly complex and ripe for litigation abuse.”  

Bipartisan State Leaders Support Reform 

While partisan disagreements remain, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and throughout state and federal government are calling for compromise.  

Earlier this year at the National Governors Association annual meeting, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum delivered remarks highlighting the importance of an efficient and safe permitting process.  

“When we generate energy here, it’s cleaner, safer, smarter than anywhere in the world. When we do that, it’s good for the global environment, it’s good for our economy, and it’s good for our allies. We want to champion innovation over regulation.” 

Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro (D) echoed these comments, saying:  

“We have got to get to market more quickly – particularly when it comes to energy projects. In Pennsylvania, we’re proud of our legacy as a national energy leader. One of the biggest issues that holds us back from doing even more in this space is permitting.” 

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) also joined the call for reform, arguing “it shouldn’t take longer to approve a project than it takes to build it.” The two governors have since announced a new bipartisan working group to explore ways to speed up permitting, including NEPA reform.  

Bottom Line: The message from America’s business and energy leaders is clear: outdated permitting processes are raising costs, slowing investment, and threatening grid reliability. Industry leaders—from manufacturers, data center developers, to oil and natural gas companies—agree that permitting reform is a necessary step to strengthen American competitiveness, lower costs for households, and meet the nation’s growing energy needs.