WATCH: National Petroleum Council calls for energy permitting reforms

The National Petroleum Council, a federal advisory committee to the Secretary of Energy, was asked in June to deliver two reports on oil and natural gas infrastructure permitting and gas and electric coordination. 

In a December release, the organization recommended removing lengthy reviews and overlapping regulations that lead to higher costs and missed opportunities when it comes to the permitting issue. 

There is growing recognition in Congress that permitting challenges cut across all types of energy infrastructure and that delivering affordable energy, regardless of fuel source, is directly linked to the government’s ability to efficiently permit new projects and a developer’s ability to build more quickly. — TC Energy CEO Francois Poirier

The report discussed how surging energy demand is driven by AI, data center expansion and electrification. 

They’re outpacing the nation’s ability to build power plants, storage facilities, and pipelines. 

It also recommended improved costs and dependencies between gas and electric coordination, in a separate report. 

The reports can be viewed online at npc.org. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright had asked the Natural Petroleum Council to study the topics in a June letter. 

He said meeting the President’s Energy Goals requires innovation and market-based solutions. 

The National Petroleum Council was founded in 1946 and is composed of 200 people that are selected and appointed by the Secretary of Energy. 

For the Washington Times, I’m Alex Swoyer.