Thune on Congress’ Generational Opportunity to Reform the Permitting Process, Lower Energy Costs

Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Mr. President, in January of 2026, part of a key sewer line serving customers in the Washington, D.C., area collapsed. “The resulting sewage spill was, the Washington Post reported, and I quote, ‘one of the largest spills of untreated wastewater in U.S. history. Enough raw sewage to fill 364 Olympic-size swimming pools flushed into the Potomac River north of the nation’s capital, exacting an ecological toll that scientists are still trying to calculate.’ “Why do I bring this up, Mr. President? “Well, I’ll tell you. “Because D.C. Water had first identified weaknesses in the pipe and proposed repairs a full seven years earlier – seven years earlier – but had been prevented from starting them by a federal permitting process that dragged on. And on. And on. Until the pipe suffered a catastrophic failure. “It’s an excellent illustration of the need for permitting reform in this country. “Too often, everything from critical repairs to important new energy projects get bogged down in federal bureaucracy, and are delayed for not months, but years at a time. “And the Washington, D.C., sewage spill is an outstanding example of the potential consequences. “Now, Mr. President, it’s important to ensure that serious environmental concerns are addressed before projects are undertaken. “And it is essential to ensure that the concerns of local stakeholders – in particular local landowners – are listened to and that they have a voice in the approval process. “But the federal permitting process has gone way beyond that to include years of senseless delays, often caused by endless litigation from environmental groups or from agencies who are set on studying a project literally to death. “We’ve seen those delays happen to projects for everything from drinking water and irrigation to building affordable energy sources and better roads and bridges. “And like in the case of the D.C. sewage spill, these delays can even apply to projects where we’re simply replacing something that’s been there for many years. “These delays all add costs, and those costs are ultimately paid by families through things like higher energy costs, higher gas and diesel prices, and higher taxes. “The legislation that we are considering today would address that. “The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would streamline and reform the permitting process to ensure that projects are approved or rejected in a timely fashion. “This is particularly good news on the energy front. “Needless to say, Americans have been dealing with an elevated cost-of-living since the early days of the Biden administration. “And when it comes to affordability, energy prices affect pretty much everything. We all know that. “High energy costs don’t just mean higher gas and electric bills, they mean higher costs for almost everything. “And one of the best ways to keep prices of all kinds down is to expand domestic energy production – everything from oil and gas to solar and wind to hydropower. “Too often, however, as I said, new energy projects get bogged down in federal government bureaucracy and end up in limbo for years. “Streamlining bureaucracy, by contrast, like the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act will do, will speed up key projects and bring more jobs and more affordable prices along with it. “Mr. President, we’ve talked about what this bill would do for energy projects. “But there’s another kind of project on a lot of Americans’ minds right now – and that is data center construction. “Communities in my state of South Dakota and around our country are concerned about the movement of data centers into their communities – in particular about what their construction can mean for energy prices. “And I am pleased to report that the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would enact new protections for local communities. “For starters, it would require that data centers shoulder the energy costs associated with their operation and construction – whether that’s day-to-day running costs or the cost of additional infrastructure. “But Mr. President, the legislation doesn’t stop there. “It would also provide technical assistance to communities to help them understand and explore the impact a proposed data center would have on their locality – everything from the economic impact to the energy costs and infrastructure requirements that would be associated with the project. “Mr. President, there are a number of other good elements in this bill. “I’m always particularly invested in what legislation can do to help farmers and ranchers – which is the livelihood of our economy in South Dakota. “And I’m very pleased that this bill will extend Clean Water Act permits for farmers from five to 10 years, significantly reducing the frequency with which farmers have to engage with government bureaucracy through that process. “This legislation will also provide for faster grazing-related reviews, which will make a real difference to ranchers. “Mr. President, if there’s one thing Americans across our country said in the election last week, it’s that they are hurting economically. “This bill is one important way that we can help. “Reforming the permitting process will help advance the kind of projects that will create new jobs, grow our economy, and increase wages. “And more American energy development means a more reliable and affordable energy supply for American families. “I want to thank Chairmen … Shelley Moore Capito and Mike Lee for their tremendous work on this legislation. “This is a bipartisan bill, and President Trump strongly endorsed this legislation on Truth Social earlier this week. “Mr. President, I look forward to swift Senate passage. “And I hope the House will follow suit and get this legislation to the president’s desk in the very near future.”