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Permitting Reform Must Happen — And Soon!

April 23, 2026

Need to know

 

RealClear

Common Sense

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT: A natural gas industry leader says the time for permitting reform is now.
Why it matters: Our nation needs more pipelines and vital infrastructure built  —  and we needed it yesterday. This ties in with the “Build, Baby, Build” philosophy that the Trump administration believes in and; one that TEA has strongly advocated for over the past six and a half years.
In the U.S. it takes 80% longer to permit projects than elsewhere in the world. That’s simply unacceptable.
Diversified Energy CEO Rusty Hutson, speaking in West Virginia last week, noted: “I know that’s being worked on at the national level in Congress in terms of permitting reforms that will hopefully get done that will help us to be able to build pipelines quicker and with less resistance from environmental groups.”
The United States, he noted, could be an even larger player in the LNG market if there were an adequate network of pipelines.
Consider: 
  • Local and state governments — and activist courts — are increasingly abusing the permitting process to stall critical energy projects like pipelines. Mountain Valley is a prime example.
  • The result: constrained supply to communities that need it most, a less reliable grid, and higher costs for all Americans.
  • Energy Information Agency data shows pipeline construction in the U.S. has dropped sharply in just a few years.
Another avenue to explore is the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act, introduced by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) last October.
This legislation sets clear, common-sense definitions for affordable, reliable, and clean energy and ending years of “Green New Deal” games that have distorted our energy policy.
Instead of the government picking winners and driving up costs, ARC establishes fair rules so the best, most practical energy options for Americans are implemented.

Elected representatives looking for an issue that really connects to their constituents’ daily lives should take note. Nearly 60 million Americans from every single state consider energy affordability when going to the polls.

Bottom line: Permitting reform + the ARC Energy Security Act = real solutions — and lasting energy dominance.

Nonsense

GOING GREEN FOR MONEY GRAB: Green groups have filed 600+ lawsuits aimed at bringing down our domestic energy industry.
Why it matters: Leftwing groups have gone full-scale assault through the legal system, some funded by foreign billionaires.
As the Trump Administration meets with oil and gas CEOs to discuss lowering gas prices, there’s a growing question that can’t be ignored: Who is working just as aggressively to stop it?
Consider: According to energy industry advocate Power The Future, these efforts are not isolated or always locally operated. They form a coordinated strategy to challenge nearly every aspect of an energy agenda focused on increasing supply and lowering costs.
  • Organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice openly tout their litigation records.
  • NRDC alone has reported suing the administration more than 160 times, including efforts that helped halt major infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.
  • The Sierra Club has claimed more than 300 cases during Trump’s first term and over 100 additional legal actions in 2025 alone.
  • Earthjustice similarly boasts more than 200 lawsuits.

Persistent? Yes.

Random? Not a chance.
The next time you see an ad talking about climate change and how harmful traditional sources are for the environment, pause and consider the point of origin; specifically, who’s paying for them.
As Power The Future points out, many of these organizations operate within a broader network of donors, including foreign billionaires like Hansjörg Wyss, whose funding has supported a range of environmental advocacy initiatives. That raises important transparency concerns: if overseas money is helping fuel legal campaigns that influence U.S. energy policy, the public deserves to know.
“The environmental movement has weaponized litigation to deliberately undermine and slow down American energy production at every turn,” said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director of Power The Future.
They are well organized and well-funded, not a well-intentioned person or group who simply cares about Mother Nature. Their sole mission is to stop natural gas, coal and oil production in the United States.
Bottom line: They’ve weaponized the courts and now it’s time to shut them down.

 

A look ahead

Hearing On EPA Budget: On Monday, April 27, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will have a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency budget.

Hearing On NOAA Budget: On Tuesday, April 28, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment will have a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Hearing On EPA Budget: On Wednesday, April 29, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will have a hearing on the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Quote of the week

“North America is now an energy superpower. But California is just screwed in so many ways.”