ACP Statement on Permitting Reform Legislation

“We applaud Senators Schumer and Manchin for moving forward with legislation to improve the nation’s outdated system for permitting critical energy infrastructure. Making common-sense reforms to our current permitting process will help us unleash the full potential of the clean energy investments spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act and keep us within striking distance of the emissions reduction targets and climate goals we need to achieve. As renewable energy projects become more prevalent and federal involvement likely increases, we must consider reasonable permitting reforms that preserve the substance of bedrock environmental laws while expediting the review process under them.

Our current permitting system is overly cumbersome and mired in delays, hamstringing our ability to grow the clean energy economy. Without these reforms, we run the risk of jeopardizing the deployment of 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2030, and with that, we’ll also fall short of the job creation and carbon reduction benefits that would be realized from these reforms. We can’t afford to let our unnecessarily burdensome permitting process derail the promise of a clean energy future. Congress should finish the job and pass these critical bipartisan reforms.”