The Energy Permitting Reform Act, according to ACP and ACORE, will help meet the rising demand for clean electricity.
Introduction
In the US, a bill to expedite the permitting process for renewable energy projects has been introduced. The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 was released by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman and Ranking Member, Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY).
Key Objectives of the Act
By streamlining the permitting process for vital energy and mineral projects across the board, this bipartisan legislation will improve American energy security. The Act aims to speed up permitting and provide more certainty for all types of energy and mineral projects without bypassing important protections for the environment and impacted communities.
Quotes from Industry Leaders
“The Energy Permitting Reform Act will help our nation meet the growing demand for electricity, deploy transmission lines to deliver clean, reliable power, and strengthen American energy security,” stated Jason Grumet, chief executive of the American Clean Power Association (ACP). ACP has long supported extensive reform of permitting.
“For years, America’s onerous permitting process has impeded clean energy and transmission projects that are essential to our country’s electricity future. Interregional transmission lines are vital to grid reliability, but hardly any have been constructed in the past ten years. We commend Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Joe Manchin (I-WV) for introducing the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, which will expedite interstate transmission in the US and shorten the permitting process for clean energy projects,” said Ray Long, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Significance of the Act
Notably, the Act mandates FERC to create the interregional transmission planning process that ACORE has long supported, which is seen as a crucial step in meeting the growing demand for clean electricity in the United States.
