In order to achieve energy dominance, America must commit to permitting reform.
I trained and worked as a geologist. I understand geologic time scales: slow processes unfolding over many years. Permitting large energy infrastructure too often mirrors that same slow pace, holding our country back when urgency is required. Worse yet, even projects that follow the rules, including engaging with communities, mitigating environmental impacts, and securing approvals, can lead to those approvals being arbitrarily reversed because of shifting political priorities.
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Fortunately, Congress has an opportunity to reshape the way energy projects are permitted in this country.
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Even in a contentious election year, permitting reform has support across party lines. It is possible that by the end of this congressional term, vital energy infrastructure projects could move forward with confidence in the validity of their permits once they are fully approved. The impact would be immediate and tangible and would bring more energy online more quickly and ensure that increased investment and the jobs that come with it flow to American factories, ports, and workers.
As we remain focused on the construction and operation of our existing U.S. offshore projects, I see firsthand the scale and economic impact of this investment. Hundreds of workers in shipyards across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and Pennsylvania are building next-generation vessels that will proudly carry the American flag. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in advanced manufacturing and port infrastructure in South Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Thousands of union workers are contributing millions of labor hours to support a more secure and energy-independent future. These investments also deliver something essential to American consumers and businesses alike: reliable, predictably priced electricity that will help keep the lights on for decades.
The biggest obstacle to these family-sustaining investments is uncertainty. When approvals can be reversed or processes bypassed, the signal to investors is clear. Long-term, capital-intensive projects in the United States carry political risk. Unless America’s regulations are made more predictable, career-creating investment will go elsewhere. More broadly, this regulatory whiplash harms grid operators, communities, businesses, and ratepayers who depend on affordable, reliable power.
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The solution is comprehensive, bipartisan permitting reform. By passing comprehensive permitting reform, Congress can provide energy projects with clear, reliable timelines and can ensure that once permits are issued, they endure across administrations. That can supercharge energy development across the country and deliver more domestically produced energy to consumers. More energy means more investment and more affordable power.
In an increasingly polarized environment, permitting reform represents a rare win-win opportunity to support American energy dominance. Congress should take politics out of energy development by advancing comprehensive permitting reform that provides certainty for all energy technologies.
Amanda Dasch was an executive at Shell for two decades and is now chief development officer of Orsted.
