Congressional Republicans are mounting a push to include permitting reform language in the final version of a budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. Reforming the bloated environmental review processes within the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is taking top priority.
For too long, NEPA’s bloated review process has shackled critical infrastructure projects for all sources of energy – stranding jobs, spiking costs, and undermining energy security. The GOP’s plan to streamline these regulations through reconciliation isn’t just smart; it’s essential to rebuild an America that can do big things again.
Here are some stubborn facts: NEPA, enacted in 1970 with good intentions, has morphed into a bureaucratic quagmire. Environmental reviews can drag on for years, serving as fodder for endless litigation from activist groups holding up projects that could power homes and fuel industries. Take the Keystone XL pipeline, canceled after a decade of NEPA-induced delays, killing thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact. Or consider natural gas export terminals, vital for supplying allies in Europe, stuck in limbo while regulators navel-gaze. This isn’t environmental stewardship; it’s economic sabotage.
The GOP’s answer, led by sharp minds like House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman and Sen. Ted Cruz, is to use reconciliation—a process allowing a simple Senate majority vote—to cut the red tape. Proposals on the table include capping NEPA reviews at one to two years, narrowing their scope to actual environmental impacts, and curbing frivolous lawsuits that delay projects indefinitely. These aren’t radical ideas; they’re common-sense fixes to a broken system.
Critics among Democrats and green lobbyists cry foul, claiming these reforms gut environmental protections. That’s nonsense. Streamlining NEPA doesn’t mean abandoning oversight; it means focusing on real risks, not hypothetical worst-case scenarios that pad legal fees for trial lawyers. The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a bipartisan deal, already tweaked NEPA to set time limits and clarify scope. The GOP’s 2025 push builds on that, aiming to accelerate not just fossil fuel projects but renewables and nuclear too. Faster permitting for wind farms and solar arrays? That’s a win for everyone, even the climate crowd.
Why reconciliation? Because the alternative – regular legislation – requires 60 Senate votes, a pipe dream in today’s polarized Congress. Reconciliation, used by Democrats for their $3.5 trillion Inflation Reduction Act, is a proven tool for big lifts. Sure, the Byrd Rule demands provisions impact the budget, but that’s not a dealbreaker. Speeding up energy projects generates royalties, taxes, and jobs—real dollars the Congressional Budget Office can score. The one-bill strategy, packing tax cuts, energy, and permitting reform, maximizes leverage to get this done by Memorial Day.
The economic stakes are massive. Delayed projects inflate costs—think $1 billion added to a pipeline for every year of stall. That’s money not going to workers’ paychecks or community schools.
Energy security is also on the line. With global demand for American LNG soaring, every stalled terminal hands leverage to rivals like Qatar or Russia. And don’t forget the clean energy angle: faster permitting means more wind, solar, and nuclear online sooner, cutting emissions without bankrupting families. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pegs permitting reform as unlocking $3 trillion in economic growth over a decade. That’s a big deal.
Opponents warn of legal challenges, but they’re already suing everything that moves – NEPA reform won’t change that. Their real fear is losing control over a process they’ve spent decades weaponizing to block progress. Communities deserve input, absolutely, but not veto power through endless court battles. The GOP’s reforms would help balance accountability with efficiency, ensuring projects move forward without trampling legitimate concerns.
Skeptics question if NEPA fits reconciliation’s rules. They’re overthinking it. Provisions like mandating oil and gas lease sales or royalty adjustments—part of the Manchin-Barrasso playbook—have clear fiscal impacts. Broader NEPA tweaks can piggyback on those, just as Democrats bundled climate subsidies in 2021. The roadmap is there; now, it’s about political will.
To achieve President Trump’s goal of Energy Dominance, America needs builders, not blockers. A successful bid to move NEPA and permitting through reconciliation is a bet on growth, jobs, and energy independence. It’s not perfect, but it’s a damn good start. Let’s cut the tape, fire up the bulldozers, and get America back to doing the big things again.
David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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