Sponsors (8)
Official title: To provide for the expedited approval of interstate oil and natural gas pipelines that are critical to the national security of the United States.
Introduced July 22, 2026 by Ken Calvert · Last progress July 22, 2026
The bill speeds and prioritizes interstate oil and gas pipeline development to bolster fuel reliability for defense and reduce permitting delays, at the cost of reduced local control and environmental safeguards, greater eminent-domain risk for landowners, and potential long-term climate and taxpayer liabilities.
Military installations, defense suppliers, and service members get more reliable fuel access because the bill prioritizes interstate oil and gas transport and pipeline projects for national defense needs.
Utilities, energy companies, and project applicants face faster, more predictable permitting through a single federal lead agency and statutory deadlines, reducing project delays and improving fuel availability regionally.
Energy companies and energy-sector workers could see increased investment and faster project approvals, supporting jobs and revenue in the fossil-fuel supply chain.
Communities near proposed projects, homeowners, and local governments could lose environmental and public-health protections because the President can waive major environmental laws for designated projects.
State, Tribal, and local governments and residents lose control over land-use and permitting decisions because the bill preempts local permitting and can provide federal preapproval or deemed approvals.
Broad prioritization of interstate oil and gas infrastructure risks locking in new fossil-fuel pipelines and delaying the transition to cleaner energy, increasing long-term climate and environmental damages.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Allows the President to designate interstate oil/gas pipelines as covered projects and makes a federal commission the exclusive permitting authority, with limited eminent-domain paths for certificate holders.
Gives the President power to designate interstate oil or natural gas pipelines as "covered pipeline projects" when needed to ensure energy supply for military installations, the defense industrial base, or critical infrastructure resilience. Designated projects are placed under the exclusive federal siting, permitting, and environmental-review authority of a named federal commission, and certificate holders may acquire land by negotiation or, after a required good-faith offer and waiting period, by eminent domain with court-condemnation procedures and statutory compensation rules. The bill declares interstate pipeline transport essential to national defense, centralizes federal permitting and environmental review for designated pipelines, requires transmission of designations to Congress and the Federal Register, and sets compensation and procedural protections for property owners from acquisition for construction and temporary uses.