We Need Permitting Certainty, From Start to Finish

To meet our nation’s growing energy demand – for data centers and AI, new manufacturing, and more – we need more electrons, more molecules, more transmission lines, more pipelines, and more critical minerals.  This will require that we build a lot of infrastructure, and we must build it quickly.  Doing so will not only help meet increasing demand, but it will also help keep energy affordable while strengthening the reliability of our energy systems.    

To attract the enormous private sector investment that will be needed, businesses must have certainty that when all the permits required for a project have been obtained, the project can be completed. That is why one of the Chamber’s top priorities is permitting reform.  Simply put, our nation’s broken and inefficient permitting system regularly stymies the development of critical infrastructure and energy projects.  Our Permit America to Build coalition of more than 500 groups from nearly every sector of the economy is working with Congress and the Administration on much-needed reforms.   

The good news is President Donald J. Trump has taken positive steps to improve the federal permitting process by reducing permitting burdens across agencies, leveraging modern technology, and prioritizing domestic energy and mineral production through executive orders that expedite approvals.  However, we’re concerned about recent decisions to issue halt work orders on offshore wind projects that already have permits, some of which are far along in construction. Not only does this inject significant uncertainty into the infrastructure development process, but it invariably increases the price of the projects and risks raising the cost of electricity, diminishing our ability to meet growing demand. 

While new environmental and defense concerns can certainly arise after a permit has been issued, permitted energy projects of any type shouldn’t be halted at such a late stage, and project sponsors should have a safe harbor once the requisite permits have been issued.  America needs every possible electron it can get, from any source, to ensure affordable and reliable energy.  The Chamber has consistently opposed efforts by the government to pick energy winners and losers, and revoking wind permits today opens the door to uncertainty for all types of energy projects in the future. 

The Chamber is “all-in” on permitting reform through our Permit America to Build initiative. We’re activating state and local Chambers from across the country and bringing together the biggest and broadest coalition to improve the permitting process.  Let’s ensure permits, once granted, remain secure and reliable to foster confidence, drive investment, and build the infrastructure essential for economic growth and energy security.

Major Initiative:

Permit America to Build

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About the author

Martin Durbin

Martin (Marty) Durbin is president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute (GEI). Durbin leads GEI’s efforts to build support for meaningful energy action through policy development, education, and advocacy, making it a go-to voice for commonsense energy solutions.

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