Permitting reform deal makes unacceptable cuts to public participation and water protections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2026

CONTACT
Molly Moore, Director of Program Communications, (828) 278-4076, [email protected] 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate permitting reform deal announced yesterday seeks to expedite permitting for energy projects. The preliminary deal is a boon for coal, oil and gas companies that could also accelerate wind and solar — a possibility that hinges on the strength of the Trump-Vance administration’s commitments to stop stymying renewable energy. 

We are still analyzing this complex proposed legislation, but the current deal makes unacceptable cuts to fundamental clean water and environmental protections, as well as to the public’s right to know about and participate in impactful decisions.  

Appalachia is experiencing the impacts of climate change firsthand, with devastating floods and landslides and periods of worsening drought and fire. Our communities are on the front lines, and we know strong action is needed to deploy clean energy at the scale and speed needed to blunt the worst impacts of climate change and protect our mountains, hollers, forests, waterways, towns and cities. 

But we cannot sacrifice our communities’ right to have a meaningful voice in projects happening in their own backyards, nor the public’s ability to defend our health, natural heritage and quality of life. Under the current paradigm of substantial growth in energy demand from data centers, many companies across our region are pushing for a rapid expansion of polluting methane gas infrastructure.

Some support these changes as part of an effort to speed up the approval and construction of new clean energy projects. But studies have repeatedly shown that good projects are improved and can be permitted and built more quickly when there is more community engagement — not less. That’s because early and robust local engagement results in better projects and less community opposition.

Statement from Tom Cormons, Executive Director:

“Durable and effective permitting reform legislation cannot cut out the people most directly affected by a project. Communities in Appalachia and beyond deserve a meaningful say in projects that impact them. Congress should not take away the tools communities depend on to defend clean air, clean water and our irreplaceable natural heritage.”