Senate unveils draft bipartisan agreement regarding permitting reform
On Sept. 30, Republican and Democratic negotiators announced a bipartisan deal that would amend significant energy and environmental laws governing federal permitting to greenlight energy projects faster and boost the strained power grid. Specifically, lawmakers agreed to language shortening the environmental review and litigation process for federal permits; easing siting for transmission line buildout; and strengthening protections for already-permitted energy projects to avoid political interference. The bipartisan proposal also requires big load centers, including data centers, to pay for all their associated transmission costs to protect ratepayers from energy hikes.
The 400-page draft faces many hurdles, including garnering broad support from each party’s caucus in the Senate. And, in the House—which has already passed various pieces of permitting reform legislation such as H.R. 4776 to streamline permitting reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act—it is unclear how the Senate proposal would be received and in what time frame it would be considered. Regardless, the desire to revamp the lengthy, cumbersome permitting process has emerged as a top priority for lawmakers in both parties as energy costs rise.
NRCA supports the ongoing efforts to pass bipartisan, comprehensive permitting reform legislation during this 119th Congress and joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other organizations earlier this year to urge Congress to fix the current system, which is outdated and inefficient, causing long delays in many types of construction projects.
Supreme Court declines to hear challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act; domestic businesses remain exempt
On Oct. 5, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act, leaving in place an 11th Circuit ruling that upheld the law in 2025. The Corporate Transparency Act was originally passed by Congress as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 to crack down on the illicit activities of shell companies. NRCA has long opposed the law because it would require small-business owners—who pose no risk to national security—to provide sensitive private data to the federal government under the guise of combatting illicit finance.
Although this news from the Supreme Court is unfortunate, the fight regarding the Corporate Transparency Act is far from finished. Numerous legal challenges to the law remain pending, meaning the constitutional questions surrounding the legislation are likely to make their way back to the Supreme Court.
More important, the announcement does not change the current filing obligations of U.S. small businesses. The Department of Treasury’s recent final rule exempting domestic entities and owners from the Corporate Transparency Act remains in effect, and the agency has committed to purging the database of the personal information it collected under the previous rules.
This relief is welcome, but it exists at the discretion only of the Trump administration and can be unwound by a future administration. Thus, NRCA will continue working with lawmakers on a statutory repeal that will be permanent.
Planning to attend NRCA’s Fall Committee Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.?
Join your roofing colleagues for a lively evening of cocktails, networking and community in support of ROOFPAC, the roofing industry’s voice in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Tenn. Enjoy an expert-led tasting with your friends while supporting the future of the roofing industry ($175 per person/$275 per couple). Members of NRCA’s Political Insiders Council and Capitol Hill Club, along with their guests, receive complimentary admission. Special thanks to our sponsor, Amrize—whose portfolio includes Elevate Commercial Roofing Systems, Gen-Flex, Duro-Last, Enverge, Gaco and Malarkey—for helping to make this event possible.
To register, please visit www.nrca.net/roofpac-fall-event. For any questions or to secure the couples’ rate, contact Teri Dorn at (202) 510-0920 or tdorn@nrca.net.
