Regulations hobble critical energy projects in six states, says report

By EPN Staff

Bureaucratic obstacles continue to delay energy projects in six states: Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, according to a new report by Americans for Prosperity. 

“The affected states were deprived of approximately 50,000 jobs and at least $75 billion in economic benefits, according to the projects’ forecasts. At a time when both energy and economic investments are so critically needed, these delays and cancellations are a clear detriment to the advancement of the economy and block future technological developments, such as AI,” wrote James Morrone Jr.

The study updated a 2023 report on 30 important energy projects, including transmission lines, critical mineral mines, pipelines, solar farms, energy plants and other energy infrastructure, which were experiencing delays due to arcane permitting requirements and litigation. According to the new study, of the 30 projects highlighted in the 2023 report, only five were complete and operating, seven are under construction, six were canceled and 12 remaining projects are mired in permitting delays. Permitting delays ranged from one year to 16 years. 

Why it matters

As demand for electricity rises due to the demands of artificial intelligence and the data centers that support it, there is a rising need for energy production, storage and transmission, the report notes. Unfortunately, federal permitting processes and other bureaucratic impediments are causing significant delays. 

None of the projects identified in the 2023 AFP report in Montana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have been completed, and only five energy infrastructure projects in Arizona, Nevada, and Ohio are operational. In Arizona, for example:

• Of the five projects identified by AFP in its first report, only one, Ten West Link, has been completed. 
• Since 2009, when the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project first applied for permits, the project has been hamstrung by bureaucratic delays and an ongoing lawsuit. The project would transport renewable energy from New Mexico to Arizona and California.  
• The Parker Solar and Storage Project, which began in 2022, is still in the permit process. The project will provide power to 300,000 homes once operational. 
• Proposed in 2015, the Resolution Copper Mine was mired in administrative delays for a decade. Having finally cleared those hurdles, the project is now blocked by litigation. The mine would generate $61 billion in economic benefits over is lifetime. 
• The West Camp Wind Farm, a 100-wind turbine energy project, will contribute energy to the Cholla Power Plant. After permitting delays, the project is expected to be completed four years after it was started in 2022. 

The bigger picture 

“Fortunately, there are two current bills that could streamline the permitting process: the SPEED Act and PERMIT Act,” writes Morone. 

H.R. 4776, the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” passed the House of Representatives in 2025. 

The bill would update NEPA by shortening environmental impact study (EIS) completion timelines and reports, ensuring an EIS is only required for major federal action, eliminating procedural hurdles, and establishing a statute of limitations for legal challenges. 

The House also passed H.R. 3898, the “Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act,” in Dec. 2025. The PERMIT Act modernizes the 77-year-old Federal Water Pollution Control Act (renamed the Clean Water Act in 1972).