Senate negotiators have reached a bipartisan deal on a permitting reform bill that would amend the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws – although the timing and possibility of Congressional action are up in the air.
The chairs and ranking members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced in a press release the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, which they say will “reform the federal environmental review and permitting processes.”
ACRA is currently analyzing the bill text and is actively engaged with its preservation partners and its allies on the Hill to assess the impacts of the bill.
The bill will not come up for a vote in Congress before the election, as the House already has left town and the Senate is expected to recess any day now. The bill could come up in a post-election lame duck session, but its prospects are uncertain as there is not a lot of time after the election to debate it and it is unclear if it would gain the support it needs to pass.
Stay tuned to ACRASphere for updates.