WASHINGTON, December 4, 2025 — The American Petroleum Institute today joined a broad coalition of business groups from across the energy supply chain in urging congressional leaders to support long-overdue reforms to the federal permitting system and ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable energy as demand accelerates.
“Rising energy demand and increasing power costs are exposing the immediate need for more energy infrastructure. Unfortunately, weaknesses in the existing permitting process are preventing essential projects from advancing,” the groups wrote in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Clear, consistent, durable permitting statutes and rules are crucial to ensuring that projects proceed through the permitting process to completion.”
Next week, the House is expected to hold floor votes on three critical permitting reform bills, including H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which returns the National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Act to its intended purpose of protecting the environment while enabling timely infrastructure development.
“This bipartisan legislation takes critical steps to reforming a permitting system that too often chills investment, creates uncertainty, and increases costs and delays for essential energy infrastructure projects,” the organizations wrote. “The legislation reduces delays and provides greater confidence for investments in energy infrastructure by establishing clear permitting milestones and reinforcing the certainty of fully permitted projects.”
In addition to API, the letter was signed by the American Exploration & Production Council, American Gas Association, American Clean Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, Liquid Energy Pipeline Association and Natural Gas Supply Association.
The coalition letter follows the release of two new National Petroleum Council (NPC) analyses outlining urgent steps to modernize the nation’s outdated permitting system. NPC’s recommendations align closely with API’s permitting roadmap — cutting delays, improving efficiency, and restoring certainty across federal reviews. As API President and CEO Mike Sommers said, the NPC analysis "further reinforces what energy producers, policymakers and communities already know: America needs durable permitting reform — and we need it now."
The American Petroleum Institute (API) represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry, supporting nearly 11 million U.S. jobs. With approximately 600 members, API companies produce, process, and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy. Founded in 1919, API has developed over 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
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