# 119-s-4944: American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026

119-s-4944, American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Armstrong, Alan [R-OK] (R-OK); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4944
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4944
- Congress: 119
- Title: American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Armstrong, Alan [R-OK] (R-OK)
- Cosponsors: 20
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-25

## Summary

**Centralize FERC as the lead NEPA reviewer and speed federal permitting for natural gas and linear energy projects.** This bill would make the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the sole NEPA lead for Natural Gas Act sections 3 and 7 reviews, impose strict concurrent-review schedules, tighten Clean Water Act Section 401 certification rules, expand nationwide permits for linear projects and pipelines, and narrow judicial remedies and standing rules to constrain litigation timelines. - Project developers and energy companies would get faster, more predictable permit timetables under a FERC-led NEPA process with a 90-day deadline for federal authorizations after NEPA and a project-wide concurrency target of 270 days with one 60-day extension. - State agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency would face new written certification and receipt rules under CWA Section 401, a general 1 year action deadline after receipt that can be deemed a waiver, and a limited standard for FERC to adopt proposed water-quality conditions only on clear and convincing evidence. - Courts, permit challengers, and communities would encounter tightened standing and review limits, with filing deadlines such as 60 days for many permit challenges and 150 days for NEPA final actions, a preference for remand over vacatur, and higher evidence standards for denials or injunctions.

## Cosponsors (20)

- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] (R-AK), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH), 2026-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH] (R-OH), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster water permits for projects: benefit, high. This bill would tighten Clean Water Act Section 401 rules so certifiers must identify missing materials within 90 days and generally act within one year or be deemed to have waived certification; that waiver decision would not be reviewable by courts. It would also provide that Section 401 certific…
- Faster approval for gas projects: benefit, high. This bill would make FERC the lead agency for NEPA reviews of Natural Gas Act projects and set one coordinated review schedule. Agencies would aim to finish concurrent reviews within 270 days, with a single 60-day extension allowed, and FERC would publish progress at least every 90 days. NEPA lawsu…
- New mill site rules and mine fund: benefit, medium. This bill would let lode or placer claim holders include as many mill sites as reasonably needed in a plan of operations, but each mill site could not exceed 5 acres, could not convey mineral rights, and could not be patented. It would also create an Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund in the Treasury to…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-4944 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4944)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2296)
- [119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4784)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4944 (as of 2026-09-25).