Enrolled Copy H.C.R. 5
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House Concurrent Resolution on Permitting Reform
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Melissa G. Ballard
Senate Sponsor: Keven J. Stratton
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LONG TITLE
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General Description:
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This concurrent resolution urges Congress to enact reforms to federal permitting policies to
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accelerate deployment of new energy infrastructure.
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Highlighted Provisions:
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This resolution:
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▸ recognizes the importance of domestic energy production for national security and
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economic competitiveness;
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▸ highlights issues with current federal permitting processes that delay energy infrastructure
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development;
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▸ details specific problems with current permitting timelines and processes;
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▸ emphasizes the need for streamlined permitting while maintaining environmental
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protection; and
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▸ urges Congress to enact specific reforms to federal permitting and environmental review
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processes.
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Money Appropriated in this Bill:
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None
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Other Special Clauses:
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None
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Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
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WHEREAS, abundant, resilient, and diversified domestic energy production enhances
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American national security, economic competitiveness, and energy independence;
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WHEREAS, environmental stewardship that protects air, water, public health, biodiversity,
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species protection, and public lands remains an important goal; H.C.R. 5 Enrolled Copy
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WHEREAS, federal permitting and environmental review processes under the National
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Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Historic Preservation
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Act, Clean Water Act, and dozens of other federal requirements have become unnecessarily
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complex and cumbersome;
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WHEREAS, energy is produced in the United States at much higher environmental
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standards than in countries from which energy is imported, making prevention of domestic
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production counterproductive to environmental stewardship;
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WHEREAS, permitting inefficiencies delay construction of essential energy infrastructure
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components needed to support economic competitiveness, enhance reliability, prevent
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blackouts, and lower costs;
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WHEREAS, electricity demand in the United States is projected to increase dramatically,
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requiring substantial increases in domestic energy production and more than doubling of
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transmission capacity;
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WHEREAS, over 2,000 gigawatts of energy production and storage are delayed in
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interconnection queues, and average interconnection times have nearly doubled from
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approximately two years to nearly four years;
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WHEREAS, environmental impact statements under the National Environmental Policy
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Act now take an average of four-and-a-half years to process;
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WHEREAS, the United States relies heavily on foreign nations, particularly China, for
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critical minerals, with demand projected to increase by more than 40 times by 2040;
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WHEREAS, other developed nations with similar environmental goals, such as Canada and
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Australia, permit new mines within two to three years compared to nearly 10 years in the
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United States;
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WHEREAS, both linear infrastructure and energy generation infrastructure face
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extraordinary delays due to overlitigation, inappropriate blocking by unrepresentative groups,
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and excessive use of the court system;
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WHEREAS, project delays dramatically increase costs, reduce viability, and burden
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consumers, businesses, and taxpayers while making our energy system less reliable;
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WHEREAS, overlapping federal permitting requirements lack flexibility to allow efforts
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that reflect the spirit and intent of environmental laws rather than mere procedural compliance;
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WHEREAS, inefficient permitting processes increase dependence on energy produced by
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foreign dictators and authoritarian regimes;
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WHEREAS, permitting delays limit infrastructure modernization that would create a more
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efficient energy system with reduced emissions and environmental impact;
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WHEREAS, failure to reform federal permitting laws results in reduced jobs, security, and
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economic opportunities; and
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WHEREAS, failure to reform these laws will result in greater limitations on energy
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infrastructure, more lost American jobs, higher costs for consumers and businesses, and
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increased vulnerability to unreliability and blackouts, causing severe harm to the American
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people:
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
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Governor concurring therein, urges Congress to enact legislation reforming federal permitting
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and environmental review processes to promote economic and environmental stewardship by
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expediting energy infrastructure deployment.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these reforms should enable faster, lower-cost
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construction of energy infrastructure of all kinds, without prejudice, by:
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(1) limiting excessive use of judicial processes that inappropriately delay projects;
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(2) preventing inappropriate usage of environmental and other federal laws to hamstring
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linear energy infrastructure construction;
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(3) reforming processes for planning, permitting, and funding electricity transmission
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infrastructure to support a more reliable energy grid that lowers costs; and
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(4) enabling domestic development of the full array of modern energy technologies,
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including nuclear, emissions management, hydrogen, critical mineral mining and processing,
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and all other needs for a modern energy system.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these reforms should ensure accountability for federal
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agencies conducting permitting and environmental review processes through better data
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collection, aggressive timelines, and permitting shot clocks.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these legislative reforms must be accompanied by a
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redoubling of efforts to streamline federal regulations to support efficient building of new
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energy infrastructure.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress must act with urgency in the coming months
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to prevent further harm to consumers, workers, and businesses, while protecting United States
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competitiveness and reducing vulnerability to both foreign adversaries and domestic outages.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the
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United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United
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States House of Representatives, and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.
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