The Senate Environment and Public Works hearing, Improving the Federal Environmental Review and Permitting Process, Part 2 held on January 28, 2026, gave state government, business, labor union, renewable energy, and fossil fuel witnesses a chance to illuminate the need for comprehensive federal permitting reform for infrastructure projects.
The hearing also provided a forum for Senators from both parties to express their support for permit reform and address certain concerns that have been hindering progress on this IEC legislative priority.
Senate Democrats explained they have paused White House negotiations on permit reform legislation because of the Trump administration’s actions against renewable energy projects.
Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who is part of the negotiation pause, said he was trying to demonstrate some “relative goodwill” on the issue, following a terse January 8, 2026, statement against the White House on the Senate floor for its continued attacks on offshore wind and other renewable projects.
Whitehouse and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.Mex.), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s ranking member, have long said that President Donald Trump’s animosity toward renewables could prevent a permitting accord. Then, the administration moved in December to halt construction on five offshore wind projects.
Federal judges have ruled against the administration in all five cases, but Whitehouse said he wants to hear directly from Trump officials on the matter before formal talks can resume.
During the Environment and Public Works hearing, Whitehouse took pains to praise committee chair Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and other Republicans for their work on the issue. At one point, Capito handed Whitehouse the gavel.
But Republican committee members were quick to point out actions by Democratic administrations against the fossil fuel industry, such as the cancellation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and the ban on LNG exports.
“What goes around comes around,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said.
In advance of the hearing, IEC sent a letter to the committee urging passage of IEC-supported permitting reform legislation to, “Advance essential reforms and promote a predictable, transparent permitting process. Doing so enables the construction industry to deliver infrastructure projects efficiently while protecting communities and the environment, strengthening the economy, and creating jobs.”
The bipartisan push to pass permitting reform legislation comes after the U.S. House of Representatives in December passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act (H.R. 3989), and several other IEC-supported, permitting-related bills aimed at streamlining permitting processes, reducing delays, and providing greater certainty for project approvals.
The focus now shifts to the Senate to pass a comprehensive, bipartisan permitting reform proposal that is rooted in these bills and other legislation introduced in the Senate in prior years.
IEC chapters and members are encouraged to meet with their U.S. Senators this year, echo the messaging from this coalition letter, and share their permitting reform story on social media with the #PermitAmerica2Build hashtag.
IEC issued a grassroots action alert urging the Senate to enact comprehensive permitting reform. Take action today.