Analysis: In 1905, Oklahoma’s first major oil boom erupted on a small farm south of Tulsa. Within two years, the field had grown from 80 acres to 8,000 acres, making Oklahoma the nation’s leading oil producer. Today, it takes four-and-a-half years on average for a company to obtain a permit to build infrastructure in the U.S. That is not caution — it is a broken system, and it is costing Oklahoma.
Permitting reform is a generational opportunity, one that could deliver real relief on affordability for everyday Americans and get the U.S. economy building again. Stalled energy projects, cancelled home building and delayed infrastructure don’t have to be permanent. Congress can change that now.
Electricity demand is growing at a pace not seen in decades, driven by manufacturers, data centers and emerging technologies. Companies making multi-billion-dollar investment decisions, such as Google and its recent$9 billion pledge to cloud and AI infrastructure in Oklahoma, need certainty and timely approvals. Without a functioning permitting system, none of that investment reaches the ground.
The Sooner State stands to gain more than most. Our energy sector alone generates$60.3 billion in total economic impact, supports more than 250,000 jobs and contributed a record $3.2 billion in tax revenue in FY2024, which is funding that flows directly to Oklahoma schools, roads and communities. That is one in every five dollars of income earned in this state. But that prosperity depends on the ability to build.
Every year a project sits in regulatory limbo is another year of higher energy prices, reduced reliability and deferred tax revenue for Oklahoma families. When the four years of litigation are added on top of permitting approvals, American companies wait nearly a decade to break ground, while our global rivals — particularly China — are completing entire infrastructure projects. Senator Armstrong is direct on this point: “The U.S. cannot afford to remain idle while our global competitors move ahead, and the cost of inaction will be paid directly by American consumers through higher utility bills.”
Oklahoma lawmakers are already moving on this issue. Governor Stitt is leading a bipartisan coalition of governors urging Congress to act on energy reform. After he stepped down as CEO of Oklahoma-based Williams Companies to serve in the Senate, Senator Alan Armstrong has made permitting reform his singular priority. His American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026 directly targets the delays choking Oklahoma’s energy industry: making the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the lead agency for interstate pipelines, reforming the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process to eliminate unnecessary delays and ensuring no single state can block a federally approved project.
This isn’t only an energy issue. Everyday Americans are struggling to find affordable housing because there isn’t enough supply. Look no further than Claremore: In 2022, the city launched an initiative that cut approval times to as little as 24 hours in some cases. This led to an immediate 61 percent jump in housing production. Imagine what could happen if Congress applies that same logic at the federal level.
Broader bipartisan reform bills currently before Congress, such as the SPEED Act, the PERMIT Act and the FREEDOM Act, would overhaul the federal environmental review process that governs everything from pipelines and transmission lines to housing developments and mining projects, delivering relief across the entire economy. Failure to act now risks losing the political momentum necessary to get permitting reform across the finish line.
Oklahoma has always built its way forward. It powered this nation’s early energy rise through grit, investment and the freedom to move fast. This moment won’t come twice. Congress must act before the August recess and give Oklahoma the chance to deliver.