PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 30, 2026
Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026
This bill modifies federal permitting processes, including environmental reviews, to expedite a wide range of projects.
The bill limits the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act and expedites environmental reviews, including by
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
further limiting the types of federal actions that trigger environmental review,
narrowing the range of alternatives that must be considered in environmental reviews, and
exempting additional types of projects from environmental review.
It also establishes deadlines for issuing permits once an environmental review is complete.
The bill also limits permit obligations under the Clean Water Act, including by
narrowing the scope of review for water quality certifications,
extending the term for permits issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, and
limiting the time period for review of permits for discharges of dredged or fill materials.
It also modifies requirements concerning threatened or endangered species to expedite the review of federal permits, including by shortening the timeline for certain consultations.
Additionally, the bill addresses numerous aspects of energy infrastructure permitting, including by
expanding the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue construction permits for certain interstate electricity transmission projects;
directing FERC to establish ratepayer protections related to certain large computational loads (e.g. data centers);
removing permit requirements for onshore oil and gas drilling on nonfederal land; and
accelerating renewable energy, geothermal, hydropower, or offshore energy projects.
It also limits the scope of the National Historic Preservation Act, including by limiting what types of projects trigger review.
People & committees
Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] · R–WV
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 30, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze S.5653 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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