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Following the NAM’s national “Building to Win” campaign for infrastructure and permitting reform, its influential policy roadmap for AI and energy dominance and its annual cross-country NAM State of Manufacturing Tour touting manufacturers’ policy priorities, policymakers are listening to manufacturers. This week, legislators announced they are resuming negotiations on permitting reform—one of manufacturers’ top priorities.

What’s going on:  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee—both key players in permitting reform negotiations—stated yesterday they have “decided to reopen negotiations on permitting reform” ( Reuters, subscription).

• Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), ​chairman of ⁠the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, affirmed his readiness to restart talks, saying in an emailed statement to Reuters: “We have a real opportunity to deliver bipartisan reform that allows America ⁠to ​build again…. I ​look forward to continuing those discussions and getting this done.”
• “On the [Senate Environment and Public Works] side, we are talking with Chair [Shelley Moore] Capito and her team about getting restarted in formal negotiations and communicating some warnings about further Trump mischief, Trump administration mischief,” Sen. Whitehouse said on Thursday. “That would be seen as fatal bad faith and would send us back into pause. I’m hoping that won’t happen” ( POLITICO Pro, subscription).

The background: Negotiations came to a halt in the Senate back in December, when the Trump administration paused five offshore wind projects.

• The resumption of talks follows the U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision last week to review  (subscription) at least 20 commercial-scale solar projects for approval.

The NAM says: “Permitting reform is one of the key pillars of a comprehensive manufacturing strategy  that will help clear the skies for manufacturers. We thank Sens. Whitehouse and Heinrich for reopening negotiations on this critical issue,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons.

• “The stakes couldn’t be higher for manufacturers: America’s permitting system is broken—with projects taking up to 80% longer  to move forward than in peer nations. America cannot lead the world in all forms of energy, AI and advanced manufacturing while projects remain stuck in yearslong permitting delays.”
• “Coming off the NAM State of Manufacturing Tour , the message has been clear—America needs a faster, more reliable permitting system to build the infrastructure that powers growth and keeps our industry competitive. 2026 must be the year of permitting reform. We want ribbon cuttings, not red tape, so manufacturers can build new shop floors, energy facilities and new infrastructure here in the United States.”
• “In addition to our champions in the  House of Representatives —including Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME)—we are grateful to Sens.  Whitehouse, Heinrich, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Mike Lee (R-UT) for their continued efforts to advance bipartisan, comprehensive permitting reform—an essential pillar of a comprehensive manufacturing strategy and an all-of-the-above approach to energy. By modernizing our broken permitting system, Congress can deliver the certainty manufacturers need to build faster, invest with confidence and improve the quality of life for all Americans.”