Washington, D.C.
The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, recently introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), aims to modernize and streamline the permitting process for energy projects across the United States. Permitting is the process of obtaining official authorization from regulatory agencies to undertake a specific activity or project, such as building infrastructure. The process has become protracted, creating a bottleneck for energy projects and infrastructure buildout which are needed to achieve the energy transition, meet growing energy demand, ensure grid reliability, and reduce energy costs.
Since the press release announcing the release of the bill, the bill has made headlines and spurred a flurry of statements and reactions from organizations across the energy ecosystem. While industry is generally in support of the bill, environmental and community organization positions range from identifying areas for improvement to calling for a complete rejection of the bill. If enacted, the bill would likely have a transformative effect on the U.S. energy sector, speeding clean and conventional energy deployment, modernizing the grid, and reducing energy costs. However, many organizations question if it sufficiently addresses environmental management and conservation, community engagement, and climate concerns.
HARC’s latest policy brief, Understanding the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, summarizes and analyzes the legislation, comparing it to the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 and recent federal rules. The brief also proposes recommendations to lawmakers.
Read the full policy brief here.
