ICYMI: Business Roundtable Calls on Senate to Advance Permitting Reform Before August Recess
July 23, 2026
As Senate negotiations on a bipartisan permitting package continue, Business Roundtable Senior Vice President for Policy Matt Sonnesyn penned an op-ed in 535 News calling on Senators to advance permitting reform legislation before the August recess. In the piece, he explains why businesses are urging Congress to modernize the federal permitting system, which would speed up $1.5 trillion in potential investment, accelerate growth and help American build, compete and grow.
Here’s what Sonnesyn said about the urgent need for more predictable, efficient and durable permitting:
On the cost of permitting delays:
- “Too often, projects America needs are delayed not by a lack of capital, demand or ambition, but by a federal permitting system that takes too long to deliver a clear yes or no. Equally damaging is a process in which an approval can later be reversed without a clear and consistent basis. When approvals stretch for years — or when valid permits are thrown into doubt — costs rise, uncertainty compounds and every dollar becomes harder to put to work.”
- “McKinsey estimates that $240 billion to $280 billion in infrastructure capital expenditures enter federal permitting each year, and that the average dollar takes four to five years to move through the system. That means $1.1 trillion to $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment is currently tied up in federal permitting.”
- “More than 650 major infrastructure projects are awaiting federal approvals before construction can begin. … These are very large, capital-intensive projects that connect power to the grid, move goods through ports, strengthen supply chains, expand broadband, produce and transport energy, and support AI and manufacturing.”
On the need for bipartisan action:
- “Congress and the Administration have made important improvements to federal permitting. But executive action, agency guidance and targeted legislative fixes do not provide the durable, systemwide reforms companies need when making investments measured in decades.”
On the solution:
- “The Senate has an opportunity to move the debate forward by advancing a bipartisan package before the summer recess. That would send a clear signal that Washington is serious about delivering the infrastructure America needs to compete, grow and lead.”
