This panel tackled what nearly every energy conversation eventually converges on: the United States’ inability to build. Moderated by Nick Loris, the discussion brought together senior administration officials and policy experts to examine why energy projects stall, how permitting has become weaponized, and what reforms are necessary to restore speed, certainty, and confidence in American infrastructure development.
Panelists emphasized that permitting reform is no longer a niche policy concern but a national economic and security imperative. From critical minerals and pipelines to transmission and data centers, the failure to permit projects efficiently is driving up energy costs, undermining grid reliability, and ceding strategic advantage to foreign competitors.
While executive action has delivered meaningful progress, speakers repeatedly underscored the need to codify reforms in law, address judicial overreach, and reset the narrative at the community level to ensure projects can actually move from paper to ground.
