How a broken energy-permitting scheme hurts Hispanics, small businesses

For far too long, the federal permitting system has acted as a barrier, not a gateway, to energy progress in America.

This broken system is disproportionately harming Hispanic families and small businesses, who already struggle with a higher energy burden and limited access to affordable energy options. With energy costs consuming a significant portion of their income—20% more than the median American family—these delays and inefficiencies result in even higher utility bills and fewer energy options, making it harder for Hispanic families to achieve economic stability. The urgent need for reform is clear, and the recently introduced bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 offers a sensible path forward.

The current permitting process is a tangled web of delays, legal challenges, and bureaucratic red tape that can stretch out for years. This inefficiency leads to higher project costs, which are passed on to consumers – often because of advocacy groups who mouth the right words –think “equitable” – but whose business model is based on suing and fundraising off of that litigation.

For Hispanic families, who already face higher energy costs, this is unsustainable. When energy projects are delayed or canceled, the impact is felt most acutely by those who can least afford it, exacerbating financial challenges and limiting access to reliable energy sources.

Small businesses, which are the backbone of Hispanic communities, are also bearing the brunt of these outdated permitting processes. Since we start businesses at three times the rate of other demographics in the U.S., we rely more than any group on affordable, reliable energy to keep our businesses open and operations running smoothly. However, when energy projects are stuck in regulatory limbo or canceled, small businesses are left with rising energy costs and uncertainty—two factors that can cripple their ability to grow and thrive.

The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Senators Manchin and Barrasso, is a crucial step toward fixing this broken system. This bipartisan legislation aims to streamline the permitting process, cutting through the red tape that has long hindered the development of critical energy infrastructure. By making it easier to build energy projects, this reform will help stabilize and lower energy prices, providing much-needed relief to Hispanic families and small businesses across the country.

Moreover, the bill ensures that energy projects actually get built. It addresses the litigation challenges that often stall projects, sets deadlines for decision-making, and shifts authority from the Department of Energy to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to expedite approvals. This includes onshore and offshore energy projects, such as crucial LNG export terminals, ensuring that they move forward without unnecessary delays. For too long, these projects have been mired in legal battles and bureaucratic inertia, preventing communities from reaping the benefits of lower energy costs and enhanced energy security.

In a time when political polarization often stalls progress, this legislation demonstrates that cooperation between parties is still possible when the stakes are high for all Americans. This is how law-making traditionally got done in the U.S. and this is a welcome reminder. The bill represents a shared acknowledgment that the current administration’s inaction requires legislative intervention. Without this bill, America’s energy infrastructure will keep languishing and there will be no relief for the communities, like ours, beset by rising energy costs.

Hispanic families and small businesses deserve better than the status quo. They deserve a permitting system that works for them, not against them. The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 is a win for every American who believes in the power of affordable, reliable energy to improve lives and build stronger communities.

It’s time for policymakers to pass this critical legislation and ensure that all Americans, especially those in underserved communities, have access to the energy they need to succeed. No more waiting.

Julio Fuentes is CEO and President of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the National Hispanic Energy Council.

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