Pass the Energy Permitting Reform Act

The Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) of 2024 seeks to accelerate the permitting process for critical energy and mineral projects of all types in the U.S.

• Introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, EPRA would help the U.S. to meet the growing demand for electricity, deploy transmission lines to deliver clean, reliable power, and strengthen American energy security.

The Energy Permitting Reform Act will enable:

• 350 GW+ of clean power projects
• over $700 billion of investment
• an estimated 3 million jobs
• the foundation for the U.S. to reach its full clean energy potential

The Context

Demand for electricity is growing rapidly, but outdated energy infrastructure and our current energy capacity do not have the capability to meet it.

• Much of the U.S. electric grid was built in the 1960s and 70s, and transmission lines are rapidly approaching the end of their lifecycle.

Our permitting process for energy projects and transmission lines is inefficient, ineffective, and costly.

The newly-introduced Energy Permitting Reform Act aims to improve and streamline the energy permitting process, helping meet growing demand for electricity and strengthen American energy security.

Energy Permitting Reform Act Key Provisions

EPRA would help the U.S. to meet the growing demand for electricity, deploy transmission lines to deliver clean & reliable power, and strengthen American energy security.

• Transmission—Creates a workable interregional transmission planning and cost allocation process and breathes life into the existing federal permitting process for major lines—which could help set in place policies sufficient for getting a grid that can meet clean energy deployment goals.
• Renewable Targets—Sets onshore and offshore renewable permitting targets to ensure officials continue to permit these critical projects.
• Judicial Review—Provides for judicial review timelines to ensure greater certainty for clean energy projects and defend against late-term litigation challenges.
• Categorical Exclusions—Provides categorical exclusions for renewable energy, storage, and transmission on public lands to exclude certain low-impact activities altogether from NEPA review.
• Permitting Timelines—Creates permitting timelines for the beginning and end of the permitting process for projects on public lands—which, in combination with the permitting timeline reforms from the FRA, should help ensure the entire permitting process runs expeditiously.
• Offshore—Ensures offshore wind leasing for the next five years and improves transmission permitting through marine sanctuaries.

Where Things Stand Today

Permitting
It currently takes on average 4.5 years for an energy project and 7.5 years for a transmission project just to get the required permits needed to build.

Clean energy investments, development, and deployment are being obstructed due to this broken permitting system. Last year, over 60,000 MW of clean energy capacity experienced various permitting delays.

Transmission
The U.S. needs more transmission lines to carry the electricity that powers the nation. However, the current structure for permitting, planning, and paying for transmission lines, which cross state and/or regional boundaries, is unworkable and needs to be reformed. For example:

• TransWest Express transmission line—took 15 years to get permitting approval.
• SunZia transmission line—took 17 years to get permitting approval.
• Pine Ridge Reservation transmission line—took 20 years to get permitting approval.

Federal Lands & Waters
Federal lands and waters have vast potential for renewable energy development to help our nation meet its growing energy needs. It is estimated that there are 2,100 GW of potential energy generation from renewables on Bureau of Land Management lands, and there are more than 58 GW of offshore wind capacity under development on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Offshore wind is a crucial renewable energy resource for the United States. The sector is expected to invest $65 billion in offshore wind projects by 2030, supporting 56,000 new American jobs. Passing EPRA into law will help ensure those goals are reached, if not surpassed.

Federal lands continue to be significantly untapped relative to their potential due to the long, uncertain, and costly permitting delays. These delays negatively affect the economy—throwing off project timelines, domestic supply chains, and the jobs and economic activity that would have otherwise occurred.