ARLINGTON, VA — Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today applauded the introduction of the bipartisan FREEDOM Act in the U.S. Senate by Senators Tom Cotton (Arkansas) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), legislation that would bring long-overdue permitting certainty to America’s broken project approval process and help unlock the energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing investments needed to lower costs for families and strengthen the economy.
“Permitting reform is a kitchen-table issue and Americans are paying the price for a status quo that makes it too difficult to build. The FREEDOM Act is an important step toward restoring certainty and accountability to a permitting system that has become a major barrier to economic growth and energy abundance. When projects are delayed for years, costs rise, investments stall, and families ultimately pay more,” said Faith Burns, energy policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity. “Permitting certainty means businesses can invest and workers can get hired. Americans deserve an economy where innovation is rewarded and that is why permitting reform should be a priority for Congress.”
The United States faces growing energy demand driven by manufacturing growth, data centers, and technological innovation. There is more than $1 trillion in potential economic investments and hundreds of thousands of jobs sitting on the sidelines. Yet projects that could help meet those needs are routinely delayed by a permitting process that often takes longer to approve a project than it does to build one. The result is higher energy costs, fewer jobs, and slower economic growth for Americans.
The FREEDOM Act would help address these challenges by providing greater certainty and predictability in the permitting process, allowing energy project developers, investors, workers, and communities to move forward with confidence. It amends the Energy Act of 2020, establishes deadlines for certain federal actions, and limits a federal agency’s ability to stop fully permitted projects. By reducing unnecessary delays while maintaining environmental protections, the legislation would help ensure that projects can be evaluated on their merits and completed in a timely manner.
AFP has long championed reforms to modernize the permitting process and remove barriers that prevent Americans from building and innovating. Through its nationwide Road to Prosperity tour, AFP traveled to more than a dozen states to highlight how permitting delays are driving up costs for families and holding back American energy.
As lawmakers consider the FREEDOM Act, AFP urges Congress to seize the opportunity to advance meaningful permitting reform and help America build again.
