Washington, D.C. – Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), offered the following statement in response to the House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR)’s release of draft permitting reform legislation:
“This hearing is a notable step in advancing federal permitting reform in the U.S. House of Representatives. Our coalition urges policymakers to seize this momentum, reach across the aisle, and pass bipartisan legislation to unleash deployment of clean energy solutions that are crucial to meeting future energy demand and maintaining affordable, reliable, and resilient energy access from coast to coast.
“At this moment, our nation’s federal permitting and siting processes cause bottlenecks and leave projects stranded in development for far too long. In just one example, over 1,100GW of projects were still undergoing interconnection studies in the seven U.S. independent system operators as of January 2024, according to the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. This inaction jeopardizes millions of dollars of private sector investment and halts job creation and economic development in the communities that need it most.
“There is no way to meet our nation’s decarbonization goals if clean energy solutions cannot move past the drawing board. To achieve clean air, reduce carbon pollution, and ensure energy infrastructure can remain resilient through climate disasters, we need new clean energy projects in operation – not stuck in a lengthy review process. BCSE looks forward to reviewing this proposal and continuing to work with Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that will advance the clean energy transition in the United States.”
Media contact: Lizzie Stricklin
Email: lstricklin@bcse.org
Phone: 202.785.0507 ext. 1504