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119-s-4475119th Congress

Unlock American Energy and Jobs Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator McCormick, David [R-PA]

Introduced

Summary

Streamlines permitting and narrows environmental review for energy infrastructure. This bill would centralize and time‑limited state water quality certifications, reshape dredge and fill permitting with broad nationwide permit rules, and tighten NEPA and judicial review timelines for energy projects.

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  • Certifying authorities and States would face strict deadlines and limits. They must respond to prefiling meeting requests in 30 days and hold meetings within 60 days. Certifications may consider only water quality and must set effluent limits and monitoring that become conditions on federal permits.
  • Project developers would see faster permit outcomes and clearer thresholds. State permit actions must be completed within 1 year or the permit is deemed approved, and pipeline permits can rely on a nationwide rule that covers projects with less than 3 acres of loss per single and complete project. Construction is prohibited before certification and waivers can apply if authorities fail to act.
  • Nuclear and NEPA changes favor quicker licensing and narrower review. Reactor licenses would be capped at 60 years, early site permits can be preserved, construction at previously permitted reactor sites could be categorically excluded from NEPA, and energy certification challenges would face a 30‑day filing deadline.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Faster state water-quality approvals

This bill would set firm timelines for Clean Water Act Section 401 water-quality certifications. The certifying authority must set a "reasonable period" within 60 days, and that period would start on receipt and could not exceed one year. If the authority misses the deadline, the certification requirement would be waived. For certain interstate energy projects, certification challenges would have to be filed in a U.S. court of appeals within 30 days.

Speedier dredge and fill permits

This bill would change Clean Water Act dredge/fill permitting rules to speed approvals. It would treat discharges under three acres as "minimal adverse effect" and keep a national pipeline permit for losses under three acres. General permits would last at least ten years and could be reissued with a nationwide assessment. States with approved programs would have one year to act on Section 404 applications or the application would be deemed approved.

Tight limits on NEPA lawsuits

The bill would shorten and limit NEPA legal challenges. Claims would generally need to be filed within 150 days after final agency action. If there was a public comment period, challengers would have to have submitted a substantive, unique comment during that period. Courts could only remand without vacating or enjoining the action and agencies would get up to 180 days to correct errors.

Less NEPA review for LNG terminals

The bill would bar the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from considering NEPA environmental factors when making its section 3(a) public-interest finding for LNG terminals. If enacted, that would remove one NEPA-based factor from the LNG terminal approval step and likely speed those decisions. The change would apply only to the Commission's public-interest finding under section 3(a).

NEPA exclusion for some nuclear sites

This bill would let the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exclude NEPA review for building and operating a reactor at a site with a prior or pending NRC permit or license. It would cap commercial reactor licenses at 60 years from authorization to start operations, with renewals allowed. The NRC would have one year to make early site permits non‑expiring and let older early site permits stay in effect on request.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

McCormick, David [R-PA]

PA • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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