Support True Clean Energy Permitting Reform Legislation

I’m writing to urge you to support comprehensive clean energy permitting reform legislation in the 119th Congress. More than 95% of new energy projects currently awaiting permits are for solar, wind, and battery storage, yet the current federal permitting process takes an average of 4.5 years just to complete environmental impact statements. Nuclear and fossil fuel projects needed that lengthy review because they ate slow, complicated, and have a huge environmental impact. New clean energy projects still need proper review and community input, but the old rules need to be updated. This delay is preventing America from meeting its climate goals and realizing critical public health benefits. Permitting reform is essential to securing about half of the potential climate pollution cuts promised by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Without it, we cannot build clean energy infrastructure fast enough to meet our climate targets. And, true energy independence lies in clean energy sources. The health stakes are significant. The Inflation Reduction Act could prevent up to 180,000 premature American deaths and reduce incidences of asthma and lung disease over the next decade by reducing air pollution, but only if permitting reform allows these clean energy projects to move forward. The transmission infrastructure challenge is equally urgent. The United States has expanded electricity transmission capacity by just 1% per year over the past decade, while it currently takes over a decade on average to build a new transmission line. We need to triple current transmission capacity by 2050 to deliver clean electricity across the country. While Congress made progress with the Fiscal Responsibility Act in May 2023, which streamlined some aspects of the NEPA permitting process, transmission projects and early community involvement still need improvement. The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 came close to passage and included key provisions that would address these gaps. This is worth revisiting. I urge you to champion permitting reform legislation that speeds approval of clean energy projects, expands transmission capacity, and ensures communities can provide meaningful input early in the process. I thank you for having the vision, and so will future generations.