Bipartisan Bill Aims to End Decades-Long Energy Project Delays
A Senate-backed permitting reform bill would set firm deadlines for federal reviews of energy projects, targeting the long wait times that have stalled pipelines, transmission lines and renewable farms.
Lawmakers have crafted a bipartisan bill that would rewrite the permitting framework for major energy infrastructure, inserting strict deadlines into the NEPA review process. Prolonged approvals have cost at least 50,000 jobs and roughly $75 billion in projected benefits across six states, with national losses likely far higher. The TransWest Express Transmission line waited 16 years for a final go-ahead, and the Sweden Valley Pipeline collapsed after regulators failed to issue a decision.
By mandating timely decisions and narrowing the scope of legal challenges, the proposal would prevent projects from being held hostage to shifting political control, as seen with the Rosebud Mine’s six-year delay. It also acknowledges that some bottlenecks stem from regulator expertise gaps, such as the decade-long review of the Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Hydro Project. Though not a guarantee that every stalled project will be built, the bill addresses the procedural dead-ends that have driven up energy costs for consumers.
Why it matters
Project delays raise energy prices and cost jobs; the bill could speed up infrastructure and lower consumer costs.
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