Oklahoma’s U.S. Sen. Alan Armstrong filed his first ever bill in the Senate in recent days and it followed his main endeavour of trying to improve energy permitting reform for the U.S. energy efforts.
Jined by Senators Rick Scott, Cynthia Lummis, Katie Britt, and James Lankford, Armstrong introduced the American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act, to reform federal permitting and accelerate construction of critical energy and mineral infrastructure.
In making the announcement, his office stated that America is entering an era of rapidly rising energy demand driven by artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and industrial reshoring, yet the federal permitting system remains one of the nation’s biggest obstacles to building the infrastructure needed to compete. He complained there is a growing schism between America’s surging energy demand and the infrastructure needed to meet it.
It’s why he introduced his American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act and said itdirectly addresses the issue by streamlining federal permitting, reducing opportunities for frivolous litigation that delays projects, and preventing politically motivated vetoes of critical American energy and mineral infrastructure.
“America has abundant energy resources and an ability to innovate, but these competitive advantages mean nothing if we can’t build. This isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about creating a permitting system that is faster, more predictable, and accountable,” said Senator Armstrong. “This bill replaces delay with accountability, uncertainty with predictability, and helps ensure America can meet growing energy demand, strengthen our economy, and stay ahead of our competitors.”
“Wyoming’s energy industry and infrastructure future depends on our ability to build. For far too long, environmental extremists have weaponized permitting processes to kill critical projects before they ever break ground. I am proud to partner with Senator Armstrong to streamline reviews and ensure Wyoming’s minerals and energy can reach the market,” said Senator Cynthia Lumis (R-WY).
AMERICAN ENERGY AND MINERAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2026
Strengthens the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERCs) role as the lead agency for interstate natural gas pipelines and LNG facilities, ensuring that no single state can unilaterally block federally authorized projects and reducing delays caused by duplicative or overlapping reviews.
Ensures consistent evidence-based environmental decision-making and includes targeted reforms to the Clean Water Act 401 review process for all types of infrastructure.
Provides certainty with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) general permits and nationwide permits by eliminating duplicative review, extending permit terms, and incorporating meaningful judicial reforms to avoid baseless lawsuits.
Provides statutory clarification necessary to re-enable essential mining activities on federal lands.
Clarifies the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by codifying a targeted scope of review, preventing overly expansive environmental analyses, reaffirming the statute’s procedural nature, and establishing meaningful judicial review standards to ensure NEPA cannot be misused to stall critical infrastructure projects.
Bill text can be found here.
A one-pager on the bill can be found here.
The section by section can be found here.
