U.S. Senator Alan Armstrong hosted a bipartisan, bicameral meeting in Washington, D.C., bringing together lawmakers, governors and industry leaders to discuss changes to the federal permitting process for energy, manufacturing and infrastructure projects.
The event, titled “Getting America Building Again: Permitting Reform and America’s Competitive Future,” focused on proposals to speed up permitting for major projects while providing a more predictable regulatory process.
Armstrong said permitting reform is necessary if the United States wants to remain competitive.
“I often hear debates in Washington about what America needs to succeed. We need more energy. We need more manufacturing. We need more critical minerals. We need more transmission. We need more housing,” Armstrong said. “The problem is not that America lacks resources, capital, or talent. The problem is that America has built a permitting system that makes building unnecessarily difficult.”
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt joined Armstrong and lawmakers from both parties at the event.
“States are not asking Washington to pick winners and losers. In fact, we’re asking them to stop doing that,” Stitt said. “What we all want is a fair, predictable, technology-neutral process that lets every legitimate project compete on a level playing field.”
More than 150 business leaders and policy experts participated in the discussion, which included representatives from the energy, manufacturing, mining and industrial sectors. Organizers said the goal is to build bipartisan support for legislation that would modernize the nation’s permitting process and reduce delays for major infrastructure projects.
You can watch Armstrong’s event below.
