{"id":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/permitting-reform","schemaVersion":2,"name":"Permitting Reform","category":"Energy","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/permitting-reform","json":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/permitting-reform.json","ask":"","position":"Decarbonization and material abundance depend on the capacity to build. But, the United States has spent fifty years adding layer upon layer of environmental review and permitting requirements. Open-ended procedures and litigation are often disconnected from or even at odds with environmental protection. Judicial precedent and administrative practice has turned the National Environmental Policy Act from a statute meant to inform public deliberation and planning into a way of delaying or killing disfavored projects  for whoever has the means to file suit. But NEPA is just one law. Decarbonization projects must also often navigate the Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Endangered Species Act, and many more national and state laws. The accumulation of requirements, paired with strained federal agencies, can be paralyzing.","faq":[{"question":"What is permitting reform?","answer":"Permitting reform means improving how governments review and approve new infrastructure. In the United States, permitting can be slow, complex, and unpredictable, making projects harder and more expensive to build. Reforms aim to accelerate decisions while maintaining important environmental protections."},{"question":"What is NEPA?","answer":"The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of major federal actions before making decisions. It promotes informed decision-making and public input. But lengthy reviews and litigation can also delay infrastructure, including environmentally beneficial projects."},{"question":"What is the current status of NEPA?","answer":"NEPA is federal law. But its implementation is changing. Recent reforms have established deadlines and page limits for environmental reviews, while the Trump administration rescinded government-wide NEPA regulations and directed agencies to streamline their procedures. A 2025 Supreme Court decision further narrowed the scope of environmental reviews and directed courts to defer more to government review choices."},{"question":"Why does it take so long to get a permit in the US?","answer":"Major projects can require approvals from multiple federal, state, and local agencies, each with different rules and timelines. Lengthy environmental reviews, overlapping requirements, agency capacity constraints, and litigation can add years of uncertainty. Permitting reform can make these processes faster and more predictable while protecting the environment."}],"experts":[{"name":"Marc Levitt","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/marc-levitt"},{"name":"Alex Trembath","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/alex-trembath"},{"name":"Elizabeth McCarthy","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/elizabeth-mccarthy"}],"startHere":[{"title":"Modernizing Preservation","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-regulatory-reform/modernizing-preservation","date":"2026-07-19"},{"title":"The NEPA Everyone Is Arguing About Doesn’t Exist Anymore","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-regulatory-reform/the-nepa-everyone-is-arguing-about-doesnt-exist-anymore","date":"2026-04-06"},{"title":"Permitting Reform or Die","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/permitting-reform-or-die","date":"2026-03-06"}],"latest":[{"title":"Abundance Between 2026 and 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Reform","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-regulatory-reform/the-unmistakable-need-for-baajas-clean-water-act-401-reform","date":"2026-10-06","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Proudly Supports the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-breakthrough-institute-statement-on-the-bipartisan-american-affordability-and-jobs-act-of-2026","date":"2026-09-30","type":"Statement"},{"title":"RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Celebrates Progress on Bipartisan Permitting Reform","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-breakthrough-institute-celebrates-progress-on-bipartisan-permitting-reform","date":"2026-09-29","type":"Statement"},{"title":"The Public Power Anchor","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-public-power-anchor","date":"2026-07-31","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Modernizing Preservation","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-regulatory-reform/modernizing-preservation","date":"2026-07-19","type":"Report"}],"policyHub":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act%7Ctransmission-2%7Cclean-water-act%7Cnational-historic-preservation-act%7Cmining-and-processing-regulation%7Cwildfire-mitigation","policyAreas":[{"slug":"national-environmental-policy-act","name":"National Environmental Policy Act","records":23,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act"},{"slug":"transmission-2","name":"Transmission","records":8,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=transmission-2"},{"slug":"clean-water-act","name":"Clean Water Act","records":6,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=clean-water-act"},{"slug":"national-historic-preservation-act","name":"National Historic Preservation 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Faulty Logic at the Heart of Environmentalist Opposition to BAAJA","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-faulty-logic-at-the-heart-of-environmentalist-opposition-to-baaja","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-10-30","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Seaver Wang; Ryan Alimento; Alex Trembath"},{"id":280231,"title":"Critical Mineral Policy Needs BAAJA","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/critical-mineral-policy-needs-baaja","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-10-23","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Peter Cook"},{"id":275834,"title":"Permitting Reform Unlocks More Clean Energy Than Trump Blocks","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/permitting-reform-unlocks-more-clean-energy-than-trump-blocks","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-10-08","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Seaver Wang"},{"id":275698,"title":"The Unmistakable Need for BAAJA’s Clean Water Act 401 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