Freshman Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Alan Armstrong plans to make another push for his permitting reforms in Congress and he will have the support of governors, senators and US representatives.
He will hold a “Getting America Building Again” event on June 24 and one of the featured speakers will be Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is also the current President of the National Governors Association.
The Senator’s office, in announcing the event, said it will be focused on bipartisan, bicameral solutions to the nation’s permitting crisis, which is currently holding up projects to expand American energy companies’ ability to produce energy in the U.S. and deliver affordable, reliable energy to American consumers.
Armstrong continues calling for the need for more reforms.
“Our ability to build in America has been all but halted thanks to excessive regulation, frivolous lawsuits, and a bureaucratic environment that rewards inaction,” he recently wrote on social media.
He also made a similar call in an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner.
“These permitting failures have direct, painful consequences for both at home and abroad. Natural gas sitting in the Marcellus Shale does not lower heating bills in Boston, and liquified natural gas trapped behind permitting delays does not help allies in Europe. This challenge is growing more urgent as electricity demand rises for the first time in decades, driven by the needs of advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and data centers.”
Gov. Stitt led a bi-partisan group of the nation’s governors meeting in April to emphasize the need for the reforms. It followed their call last year when they released a package of reform priorities to improve federal permitting and regulatory processes for critical energy infrastructure projects. Gov. Stitt and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro co-chaired that effort and led discussions with Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
“You cannot reignite the American Dream without abundant, affordable, reliable energy. Oklahoma is a shining example of the free market delivering, drawing businesses from around the world to invest and innovate,” said Gov. Stitt. “America already has the natural resources to unleash the ‘best of everything’ in energy, yet we’re one of the slowest nations in the developed world at permitting new projects. Governors across the aisle are on the front lines of this challenge, and we’re ready to solve the problem. We’ve led the way on commonsense permitting reform, and it’s time for Congress to do its part remove roadblocks that stand in the way of energy innovation.”
Joining Gov. Stitt in Sen. Armstrong’s event will be Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12) and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (MI-08).
The event will also feature a cross-section of industry leaders, including:
Karen Harbert, President and CEO, American Gas Association
Ray Long, President and CEO, ACORE
Brandon Farris, Executive Vice President, Steel Manufacturers Association
Michael Carr, Executive Director, Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition
The “Getting America Building Again” is the same slogan used by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Build America Bureau who are investing $46.97 million across 27 states to build big infrastructure projects with the help of public-private partnerships.
Through the Bureau’s Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Program (IFAC), states will have the resources to engage with businesses that can provide innovative financing solutions on local projects. The Department is equipping states with tools necessary to get bureaucracy out of the way and help build new and robust infrastructure safely and efficiently in their communities.
The Department awarded 45 grants via IFAC, including:
- $1.25 million to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to explore P3 opportunities for creating high-occupancy toll lanes on Interstate 279/579 to ease congestion and improve safety.
- $1 million for the Road Commission of Oakland County, Michigan, to support the development of a countywide wireless communications program.
- $1 million for the City of Denton, Texas, to develop an intelligent transportation systems master plan for the city to integrate modern communications, sensors, and data analytics into its transportation infrastructure.
- $999,763 to the West Virginia Department of Highways to evaluate improvement needs for state-owned bridges and explore P3 project delivery opportunities.
