Businesses, manufacturers, energy, labor, environmental, and policy organizations commend bipartisan leadership and call for swift passage
WASHINGTON – As Congress returns from recess today, 85 organizations signed a letter to Senate negotiators expressing appreciation for their leadership in advancing the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 and urging Congress to pass the legislation this year.
The letter, organized by C2ES Action, Third Way, and Ceres, highlights the need for bipartisan action to modernize permitting and reviews and make it easier and faster to build in America at a time of rising electricity demand, increasing pressure on the electric grid, and intensifying global competition for investment.
The signatories span a wide range of sectors and perspectives, including manufacturers, utilities, clean energy companies, start-ups, labor organizations, advocates, technology firms, and policy organizations. Signatories include National Association of Manufacturers, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Cummins Inc., GE Vernova, Siemens USA, Volvo Group North America, Evergreen Action, WATT Coalition, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, American Conservation Coalition Action, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), and dozens of others.
In the letter, the organizations write:
“We encourage passage of this bipartisan legislation that represents a crucial step toward improving permitting and review processes and modernizing the infrastructure that supports American economic development, energy affordability, emissions reductions, and competitiveness.”
The full letter and list of signatories can be found here.
The letter commends the authors of the legislation, Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), for developing a comprehensive bipartisan approach to addressing permitting and infrastructure challenges while supporting economic growth, reliability, emissions reductions, and energy affordability.
“When critical energy and infrastructure projects get stuck in lengthy permitting processes, Americans pay the price through higher energy costs and missed economic opportunities,” said C2ES Action President Nat Keohane. “This bipartisan legislation recognizes that affordability and competitiveness depend on our ability to build. Congress should move quickly to pass the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.”
“Congress has a clear mandate to bring down energy costs, and the Senate’s bipartisan permitting deal is a concrete way to deliver by accelerating the deployment of affordable clean energy. Passing this bill now would allow lawmakers to focus on implementation next year, bringing immediate affordability benefits and setting the stage for faster clean energy adoption,” said Zach Friedman, senior director, federal policy at Ceres. “Robust support from clean energy advocates, businesses, and labor speaks volumes about the affordability and jobs benefits the bill will bring across the country. It’s time for Congress to get it done.”
“The status quo – an aging grid, sluggish project approvals, growing electricity demand, and skyrocketing prices – is not acceptable and ultimately endangers our economic prosperity” said Third Way Energy Senior Vice President Josh Freed. “This legislation is the product of a huge coalition of negotiators and stakeholders, would be a monumental step towards fixing federal permitting, making energy more affordable, and building a modern and clean American energy system.”
The letter notes that delays and uncertainty in existing permitting and review processes can increase costs, slow infrastructure development, and hinder investment in projects critical to meeting the nation’s growing energy needs. The organizations argue that reforms included in the legislation would help accelerate project development while supporting a more reliable, affordable, and modern energy system.
Last week, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and Greenline Insights released new analysis highlighting the costs of delayed reform and the expected benefits of the bill’s transmission and interconnection reforms. Compared to a “business as usual” scenario, by 2035 the modeled reforms would enable 170 GW of additional wind, solar, and battery storage capacity, including 83 GW of solar, 67 GW of wind, and 20 GW of battery storage, and expand interregional transmission capacity by 61 GW.
Because new interconnection processes and transmission projects take years to deliver, a delay until 2030 would mean achieving only about 40 percent of the modeled benefits by 2035, while reducing reliability, limiting the expansion of clean technology, and increasing reliance on new, inefficient natural gas “peaking” units. Through 2040, this delay would forgo roughly $55 billion in electricity system savings and 800 million metric tons of emissions reductions.
About C2ES Action
C2ES Action exists to champion policies that scale clean energy and create good jobs in the United States, while ensuring a stable climate. In a moment when our economic future offers a critical opportunity to build and advance a shared national agenda, C2ES Action offers a steady hand to guide policies from ideas to results, leveraging our earned trust across the political spectrum, a robust private sector network, and world-class research and expertise.
About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and resilient economy. With data-driven research and expert analysis, we inspire investors and companies to act on the world’s sustainability challenges and advocate for market and policy solutions. Together, our efforts transform industries, unlock new business opportunities, and foster innovation and job growth — proving that sustainability is the bottom line. For more information, visit ceres.org.
About Third Way
Third Way is a national think tank and advocacy organization that champions a bold, combative centrism. We develop policy and political ideas that deliver for working Americans and can win the moderate middle to build power. Our Climate and Energy program pushes for policies that are affordable, reliable, and built for the long haul, from modernizing the electric grid and scaling nuclear power to revitalizing domestic manufacturing and competing with China on clean tech.
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