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Introduced February 3, 2026 by Josh Harder · Last progress February 3, 2026
Speeds federal permitting for energy, mineral, and geothermal projects by requiring project notices, fixed review schedules, and deadlines for routine and complex authorizations; creates two Treasury funds to (1) compensate project sponsors for losses from agency delays or revoked permits and (2) reward/perhaps penalize agency permitting performance. It also creates a new judicial-review framework with expedited timelines, limited grounds for vacatur, remedies and civil penalties for agency noncompliance, plus several targeted changes to accelerate geothermal leasing, concurrent permitting, cost recovery, and limits on federal drilling-permit requirements on some non‑Federal surface estates.
The bill speeds and de‑risks energy and mineral permitting—helping developers, improving project bankability, and potentially lowering energy costs—at the cost of reduced environmental review, constrained agency and judicial oversight, and shifted risks and costs that may fall unevenly on taxpayers, small developers, and local communities.
Utilities, energy developers, and project sponsors get faster, more predictable federal permitting and court review, reducing project delays and lowering construction and financing costs (which can translate into lower energy prices).
Project sponsors gain financial and legal risk protections — a De‑Risking Compensation Fund plus authority to recover attorneys' fees — which can make projects more bankable and reduce losses from agency delays or vacaturs.
Streamlining infrastructure actions — faster rights‑of‑way, categorical NEPA exclusions for low‑disturbance activities, annual geothermal leasing, and a Geothermal Ombudsman — speeds construction and enables more geothermal and energy development.
Rural and urban communities and local environments face increased risk of environmental and public‑health harms because faster deadlines, categorical exclusions, and limits on injunctions/vacatur reduce thorough environmental and community review.
Agencies' ability to revoke, halt, or fully reassess permits is constrained, making it harder to correct unlawful permits or respond to new information and increasing the risk of persistent harms.
Taxpayers may face higher costs if premiums, fees, and dedicated funds prove insufficient — including potential new appropriations, penalty transfers, or ongoing 'such sums as necessary' authorizations that increase federal spending.