Staff Reports
Senior Trump administration officials told an AUSA crowd they are not going to sit around and wait for Congress to finish a permitting bill before fixing America’s clogged energy pipeline and power-line approvals. The Army Corps says it will send a rulemaking to OMB to expand the use of nationwide permits. The EPA says it will move more permitting work to willing states and expects a final WOTUS definition soon. In short: the bureaucracy is being told to speed up, and fast.
What the agencies actually announced
Nationwide permits, WOTUS, and state delegation
D. Lee Forsgren of the Army Corps said the Corps will ask OMB to let it use nationwide permits more widely — the tool that lets routine projects skip a slow individual review. Forsgren noted individual Corps permits “can easily take at least a year, frequently two,” and he wants some Corps approvals done in roughly 45 days. EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said the agency will hand more permitting programs to states that meet federal standards, and the Army and EPA expect to finalize a durable definition of “waters of the United States” to clarify which projects trigger Clean Water Act review. Interior Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor made the point plain: litigation is choking projects, and the administration wants durable decisions that last beyond one election cycle.
Why permit reform is about more than paperwork
This is about energy, jobs, and national security. Faster permits mean transmission lines get built to move wind and gas where they are needed. Faster permits mean pipelines, fertilizer plants, and refineries can be fixed or expanded so farmers and families don’t pay more at the pump or at the grocery store. The Army Corps and EPA moves aim to unclog a system that turns smart investment into a multi-year game of roulette. That helps energy infrastructure, the electric grid, and the supply chains that matter to every American.
The legal politics: smart workarounds or rule-of-law risks?
Yes, Congress has a bipartisan permitting bill waiting for a floor vote. But Congress moves in molasses. So the administration is using rulemaking and state delegation to get results now. That is smart politics. It is also true that rule changes can be sued. Environmental groups will certainly test expanded nationwide permits and the new WOTUS in court. If you like long, expensive litigation, you will love the status quo. If you prefer projects that actually get built, you welcome faster, clearer rules — even if opponents predict lawsuits. The right response is to finish the Senate bill and back agency fixes so both law and administration push the same way.
Bottom line: move first, explain later — and keep building
Fine words from either party don’t build a transmission line or a pipeline. Practical action does. The administration’s move to expand nationwide permits, shore up WOTUS, and give capable states more authority is a straight shot at permit reform. Conservatives should cheer officials who act to strengthen American energy and muscle up our supply chain. Congress should not treat the agencies’ work as a substitute — it should finish the job. Faster permits won’t solve every problem, but they will stop letting red tape be the enemy of national security and common sense.
