Permitting Reform
America wants more domestic production - but a broken federal permitting system leaves manufacturers waiting years to build. The NAM's report America on Hold quantifies the cost and charts the fix.
Permitting Reform
It takes too long to build in America.
America wants more domestic production — but a broken federal permitting system treats routine industrial upgrades like brand-new developments and leaves manufacturers unable to forecast if or when approval will come. The result is years of delay and billions in lost investment. The NAM’s report America on Hold quantifies the cost — and charts the fix.
Source: NAM and the Foundation for American Innovation, America on Hold: How Permitting Delays Stall Manufacturing Progress (2026), based on a manufacturer survey and 10 years of federal permit data.
Watch
The Case for Permitting Reform
Where the burden falls
The permits manufacturers hit most
For manufacturers, permitting pain isn’t one law — it’s the sum of air, water and environmental reviews they face year after year.
Clean Air Act
of equipment additions require an air permit — ranked the #1 most burdensome by half of all respondents, with approvals often topping 10 months.
Clean Water Act
of facility expansions trigger CWA permits (NPDES, §404, §401). Scope creep and unclear timelines are the primary friction points.
NEPA / ESA / NHPA
average environmental-impact-statement completion time for manufacturing projects — nearly double the national average — compounding every other delay.
A practical reform agenda
Eight priorities for Congress and the administration
Make routine changes routine
Minor upgrades should face proportional review — not novel-project scrutiny.
Make renewals boring
Unchanged operations should trigger verification, not full re-permitting.
Make timelines predictable
Statutory deadlines once an application is complete — no open-ended queues.
Reform NEPA
Expand categorical exclusions, narrow scope and expedite judicial review.
Modernize the Clean Air Act
Workable PM2.5/ozone standards, realistic review cycles and regional credit trading.
Streamline the Clean Water Act
Clarify §401/§404 timelines and scope, and expand the use of general permits.
Raise the bar for injunctions
Procedural litigation should halt operations only when irreparable harm is imminent.
Create durable certainty
Legally permitted projects must stay permitted — limit revocation risk and enforce deadlines.
“Permitting reform is not a single-law issue. For manufacturers, the daily burden is overwhelmingly about air and water permits — and the pain comes from the sum of reviews they face each year.” — Key finding, America on Hold (NAM & Foundation for American Innovation, 2026)
On the record
Manufacturers make the case
Manufacturing leaders describe what a modernized permitting system would mean for jobs, supply chains and American energy.
“Projects that strengthen our energy system can face years of unnecessary delays under the current NEPA framework. Uncertain timelines, duplicative reviews, overly expansive analyses, and lengthy litigation can stall or even cancel critical infrastructure. Modernizing NEPA is a critical step toward providing greater certainty for developers and communities so we can deliver the energy needed to support American jobs, strengthen supply chains, and keep energy affordable for families and businesses.”
— Toby Z. Rice, President & CEO, EQT
“We were the first mining project covered under the federal government’s FAST-41 permitting program in 2024. From start to finish, the process will take just over two years. We have seen the benefits that streamlining and coordinating federal efforts under NEPA provides to projects like Hermosa. When there is a collective will to support a project needed for national security, the resources are put in place to ensure the defined timeline milestones are met with the same, if not more, amount of rigor and efficiency. By responsibly modernizing NEPA in a bipartisan manner, more critical projects can move forward to support communities, provide jobs, and deliver for America.”
— Pat Risner, President, Hermosa Project, South32
In action
Driving permitting reform forward
Manufacturers are leading the push for a modern permitting system — and momentum is building across Congress and the agencies.
- July 2025The bipartisan SPEED Act (Reps. Westerman & Golden) is introduced, reflecting the NAM’s NEPA-reform priorities.
- November 2025The SPEED Act clears the House Natural Resources Committee in bipartisan fashion.
- March 2026The NAM and the Foundation for American Innovation release America on Hold, and permitting-reform negotiations resume in Congress.
- April 2026The House passes three NAM-backed Clean Air Act reform bills — the FIRE, RED Tape and FENCES Acts.
- May 2026FERC proposes to streamline natural-gas pipeline permitting, and the EPA issues Clean Air Act permitting guidance and a New Source Review reform.
Clear the way to build
Faster, more predictable permitting means more investment, more jobs and a stronger industrial base. Read the report and add your voice.
