APPA, along with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), has endorsed the bipartisan energy permitting reform bill, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA).
Leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have agreed to include a technical amendment in the forthcoming manager’s amendment, clarifying that the bill would not expand Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction over public power utilities or electric cooperatives.
APPA and NRECA outlined their support in a letter to leaders of the committees.
The legislation includes several key wins for public power: reasonable reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including judicial reforms and more predictable review timelines, and significant improvements to permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act.
The bill also includes provisions to ensure permitting certainty for all project types and includes important and significant improvements to hydropower permitting.
"America’s growing electricity needs demand that we build and modernize critical energy infrastructure faster," said Scott Corwin, President and CEO of APPA.
"Permitting reform will give public power utilities the certainty they need to make those investments. A more efficient, predictable process will help us keep the grid reliable, keep electricity affordable, and power the communities and economic growth of tomorrow," he said.
Taken together and based on extensive member feedback, APPA said it believes these provisions represent meaningful progress toward a more efficient and predictable process for building and maintaining the infrastructure needed to provide affordable, reliable power to the communities served by public power.
