Soaring electric prices, blackout threats? Energy permit reform still needed | Opinion

A year ago, I wrote about the importance of reforms to the process of permitting energy infrastructure such as pipelines and electricity transmission lines.

Sounds boring? Not if your power goes out or your electricity bill doubles.

With nearly 2,300 gigawatts of electricity generation and storage capacity seeking connection to the grid in the U.S., and connection wait times of five years, reforms are badly needed to expand the production and transmission of energy to meet surging demand for reliable and affordable energy.

The Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) of 2024 would have accelerated the process and increased the likelihood of approving energy infrastructure permits. Despite bipartisan support, it simply ran of time to resolve a variety of disagreements before the 118th Congress ended.

After the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin (the primary advocate for EPRA), one congressional staffer called that push for permit reform a once in a lifetime opportunity.

So, is there now any hope for permit reform? Yes, with your help!

The need for permit reform is not going away, particularly with the push for more data centers as well as the growing number of electric vehicles and heat pumps, and the increasing reliance on solar and wind power, which do not always produce electricity where and when it is needed.

Indeed, electricity prices are rising across the nation and blackouts have been predicted for Washington state as soon as 2026.

Recognizing this need, a bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress has outlined a framework for comprehensive permit reform.

Permit reform must be comprehensive to eliminate all obstacles and bottlenecks of the process, while retaining the ability of the National Environmental Protect Act (NEPA) to continue to protect our environment. To be durable, it must have bipartisan support, solving problems that are important to both sides of the aisle.

Sticking points are the length of the statute of limitations, which is six years in NEPA and was 150 days in EPRA, fear of the loss of public and stakeholder influence on environmental protection, limits on the ability of courts to block energy projects, the tension between state and federal influence on permitting, lack of trust that the executive branch will honor permits that have passed, concerns that the legislation will primarily benefit fossil fuel or primarily benefit renewable energy (the energy permit queue is 97% electricity), and concerns that President Trump will veto any legislation passed by Congress.

Several acts of Congress are under consideration. While none are sufficiently comprehensive to address all the concerns, each is a work in progress that can be amended to address concerns. The SPEED Act is the broadest legislation, but currently removes the ability of courts to block projects; that weakness must surely be addressed.

The ePermit Act would modernize data sharing and environmental reviews. The SPEED and Reliability Act addresses how major transmission lines are approved. These bills could be bundled into a comprehensive package.

Passage depends on both political will that you can provide, and on details that only specialists can understand. If you want continued abundant, inexpensive, reliable, and environmentally responsible electricity, call Rep. Dan Newhouse and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and ask them to tell their skilled staffers to work with staffers across the aisle to find a way to vote yes on comprehensive bipartisan permit reform.

Then write to the White House and tell the President that his legacy as a getting-things-done president will be bolstered with the completion of comprehensive energy permit reform that cuts red tape and benefits transmission of both his beloved fossil fuels and carbon-free electricity.

-Climate scientist Steve Ghan leads the Tri-City Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby.

This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.