Bipartisan Permitting Reform Introduced in Senate

What happened: Leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee Sept. 30 introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, representing a long-awaited breakthrough in the effort to enhance delivery of energy and infrastructure projects.

The bill includes ARTBA-backed priorities that, if enacted, would:

Set firmer timelines for federal reviews and permits;

Improve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by narrowing what constitutes a “major federal action” and gives project sponsors a stronger role in the NEPA process; and

Limit certain NEPA and Clean Water Act challenges to a 150-day judicial review period.

Why it matters: Permitting reform can help transportation dollars to be used more efficiently by reducing project delivery delays.

What’s next: The Senate is expected to consider the legislation after the midterm elections. The House passed two ARTBA-supported permitting bills last year, which could be incorporated into a final package with the Senate bill for the President’s signature.