If Congress allows permitting reform to stall again, the United States will inevitably face higher energy costs, weaker energy reliability, and reduced geopolitical influence. Washington favors strong language and superlatives about resilience, competitiveness, energy dominance, and winning the future. But for all that rhetoric, policymakers don’t seem to feel the urgency of a major weakness at home.
That weakness centers on knowingly enabling paralysis. Each time geopolitical tensions flare, Washington suddenly is reminded that energy security remains important. Lawmakers issue urgent warnings. Experts quickly explain the fragility of global supply chains, power grids, and fuel routes. Then the moment passes, and the system that makes it painfully difficult to build remains untouched. America is not building enough anymore.
This avoidable cycle is rapidly turning into a major strategic failure. Sadly, permitting reform is often seen as a procedural issue, focusing on administrative timelines and regulatory details. This perspective is entirely incorrect. In a world of rising electricity demand, artificial intelligence expansion, industrial rivalry, and grid stress, permitting reform is not procedural. It is foundational to economic stability and national security.
Read the full article in the Washington Examiner.
This piece makes an important and timely case: if the United States wants to lead on energy, affordability, reliability, and industrial growth, it has to be able to build the infrastructure those goals require. It rightly recognizes that permitting reform is not a narrow procedural concern, but a foundational question of execution in a moment defined by rising electricity demand, geopolitical uncertainty, and intensifying global competition. Just as importantly, it frames reform in a practical and responsible way, not as a rejection of environmental stewardship or public input, but as an effort to create a process that is clearer, more predictable, and better suited to the scale of the challenge. That is exactly the kind of seriousness this moment calls for.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.