USHBC backs bipartisan permitting reform bill

The United States Hispanic Business Council endorsed a bipartisan Senate deal on permitting reform on October 9, 2026, saying the measure could help speed energy projects, improve grid reliability and cut costs for businesses and households. The group urged the Senate to pass the bill and called it a path to faster infrastructure buildout without sacrificing environmental review.

Why it matters: - The United States Hispanic Business Council says the bill could reduce delays that raise electricity costs and slow investment for Main Street businesses. - The legislation targets transmission, energy infrastructure and grid planning that can affect reliability for families, small businesses and data center growth. - The bill also aims to shift more infrastructure costs tied to data centers away from households and small businesses.

What happened: - On October 9, 2026, the United States Hispanic Business Council endorsed the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026. - The bill is led by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee, and ranking members Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich. - Javier Palomarez, USHBC president and CEO, called the measure a bipartisan path forward for faster energy development and more predictable permitting.

The details: - The bill would expand Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority over interstate power lines. - It would require stronger regional grid planning and the use of grid-enhancing technologies. - It would accelerate geothermal permitting. - It would set firm deadlines for environmental reviews. - It would limit certain legal challenges and state water-quality reviews. - It would provide more permitting certainty across presidential administrations. - It would allow qualified states to conduct some endangered-species consultations. - It would fund cleanup projects at abandoned hardrock mines. - The legislation would require data centers to bear more of the infrastructure costs they create instead of shifting those costs to families and small businesses.

Between the lines: - The endorsement puts the USHBC on the side of a broader push in Congress to make federal permitting faster and less uncertain. - The group’s message frames permitting reform as an economic issue, not just an energy policy debate. - Palomarez said the bill should not force a choice between oil and gas and renewables, or between growth and environmental stewardship. - The statement also argued for an all-of-the-above energy strategy that supports American businesses, working families and communities.

What's next: - The USHBC is urging the Senate to pass the bill. - The group is also pressing lawmakers in both chambers to work together on durable permitting reform. - The USHBC said it will keep working with Congress and the administration on affordable, reliable energy, responsible infrastructure development and a pro-growth business environment. - The organization directs readers to more information, its Facebook page and its X account. - The group also points prospective members to ushbc.com/join.