# 119-s-5653: Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 119-s-5653, Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5653 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-5653 - Congress: 119 - Title: Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-09-30 - Sponsor: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV) - Cosponsors: 3 - Policy area: Environmental Protection - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-11-01 ## Summary **This bill would streamline federal environmental review and speed permitting timelines** while building a unified digital ePermit system to share data across agencies. It would shorten review deadlines, change judicial review rules, and protect many non‑Federal project approvals. - Project sponsors and developers: Reviews would be faster with Environmental Assessments targeted for completion within 1 year and Environmental Impact Statements within 2 years. The bill also limits some challenges and preserves authorizations for many non‑Federal projects subject to narrow exceptions. - Federal agencies and permitting staff: Agencies would adopt CEQ data standards, build an ePermit portal, and publish implementation plans. The bill authorizes $5 million per year for the ePermit and a Permitting Improvement Fund of $20 million per year (2027–2033) to boost agency performance. - States, Tribes, and conservation programs: The measure creates State assumption paths for Endangered Species Act consultations and funds State participation, including $150 million per year for ESA Section 7 work, and it authorizes major grants for coastal and historic preservation. *Would increase federal spending by creating multiple new funding authorizations for permitting, endangered species, coastal, and historic programs, adding ongoing appropriations pressures.* ## Cosponsors (3) - Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Coastal State conservation grant fund: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to set up a Coastal State Fund and would authorize $50 million per year for fiscal years 2028–2032. Each year, 70% of available funds would be split equally among coastal States, 15% based on tidal shoreline, and 15% by co… - New federal digital permitting system: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require the Council on Environmental Quality to publish data standards within 60 days and guidance within 120 days to build a shared interagency permitting portal called ePermit. Agencies would compare systems in 90 days and begin implementing standards within 180 days. T… - More market access and local permits: benefit, medium. The bill would require Transmission Organizations to let qualifying behind‑the‑meter aggregations join wholesale energy, capacity, and ancillary markets, effective 18 months after enactment. Each organization must file compliant rules within 180 days. The bill would ban exclusionary practices and d… - New small water‑energy licenses: benefit, medium. This bill would create a new licensing path for very small hydrokinetic projects that do not impound water and are 5 megawatts or less. Licenses could run 10 to 20 years. Applicants would normally file within 1 year after a notice of intent and the Commission would act within 1 year after the appli… - Offshore power routes and permits: benefit, medium. The bill would direct Interior and Energy to identify preferred offshore routes for power cables within 2 years and to review needs at least every 3 years. Interior would coordinate federal reviews and set a final rule within 2 years for gathering information and issuing rights‑of‑way. Cable permit… - State referrals for local transmission: benefit, medium. The bill would let one or more States ask FERC to investigate a utility's local transmission planning. FERC would set procedures within a year and could include up to three State appointees on an investigative team. Remedies could require process changes, reduce a utility's return on equity, remove… - New pay plans for power agencies: benefit, low. If enacted, each Federal power marketing agency Administrator would have to develop a compensation plan within one year and implement it within one year after development. Plans would cover salaries, bonuses, benefits, and incentives, be based on annual compensation surveys, fit approved budgets, a… - Faster project reviews and legal rules: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would tighten NEPA and permitting schedules and agency coordination. A lead agency would have fixed windows to invite cooperating agencies and set schedules. EAs would generally finish in 1 year and EISs in 2 years. The bill would also change judicial-review timing and create d… - Transmission and grid planning reforms: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would require regional transmission planning that looks 20 years ahead and would update at least every two years. FERC would set new interconnection and queue rules and require faster sharing of grid data, generally within 15 days of a request. The bill expands categorical excl… - Changes to endangered species rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize $150 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 to support Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and State participation. It would require agencies to accept qualifying State-collected data in listing decisions. The bill would also shorten certain consultatio… - More historic preservation funding and rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize $200 million per year for the Historic Preservation Fund for fiscal years 2027–2036. It would also authorize $20 million per year for 2027–2030 for Tribal Historic Preservation Officer database grants. Deposits to the Fund in 2027 and later would be available to… - Quicker water permits and court rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would speed Clean Water Act Section 401 certification and related permit rules. Certifiers would acknowledge receipt in 3 days, give completeness notices in 90 days, and final action would generally be capped at 1 year (9 months for certain interstate transmission). The bill wo… - Faster geothermal leasing and permits: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a geothermal ombudsman and task force within 60 days and require annual geothermal lease sales. It would set permit-review timelines: drilling‑permit completeness notices within 30 days and permit decisions within 30 days or 10 days after required steps are finishe… - FERC regional planning and tech rules: mixed, medium. The bill would require FERC to make regions and neighboring regions plan transmission together and file plans within 2 years. FERC would set cost allocation and treat projects chosen in approved plans as meeting certain permit criteria. The bill would also require utilities to use advanced transmis… - New hardrock mining fees and leases: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require holders of each covered mill site to pay a $400 annual claim‑maintenance fee per site, due September 1, with receipts deposited in a new Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. Up to 5% of deposits could pay Fund administration. The bill would also let operators include mor… ## Related bills - 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026 - 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025 - 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. - 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan. ## Sources - [119-s-5653 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5653) ## Related - [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949) - [119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-410) - [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) - [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5653 (as of 2026-11-01).