The bipartisan legislation aims to speed permitting by setting deadlines and doubling production targets for renewable energy permits on federal lands, while not compromising environmental impact assessments and community needs.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, a bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at streamlining permitting for energy infrastructure projects.

The solar panel permitting process has been identified as one of the biggest bottlenecks to solar project implementation in the U.S. It can be difficult due to complex regulations and the need for manual data entry methods.

The permit reform bill, authored by Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, aims to shorten permitting deadlines by 150 days from the date of final agency action on the bill; requiring courts to expedite review of legal challenges. It also establishes a 180-day deadline for federal agencies to act on referred permits.

Manchin called the legislation “common-sense, bipartisan legislation that will speed permitting and provide greater certainty for all types of energy and mining projects, while including important protections for our environment and the communities it affects.”

The bill sets deadlines and doubles production targets for renewable energy permits on federal lands and streamlines environmental reviews for low-impact renewable, grid and storage projects. It also makes several changes to speed up permitting processes for fossil fuel projects.

Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, praised the Senate for passing the bill:

Today, we are one step closer to overcoming systemic barriers to the solar and storage industries and unleashing America’s clean energy sector. Voices on both sides of the issue agree that we must reform the permitting process so that we can quickly build transmission capacity and deliver abundant, affordable renewable energy to the homes and businesses that need it. There are many positive elements in this bill, including equitable distribution of transmission costs and provisions to simplify clean energy development on public lands.

The bill now goes to Congress. Find the legislation details Here.

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