WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — After nearly two decades without a major update to federal permitting rules, a leading Hispanic business organization is throwing its full support behind a new bipartisan Senate effort to modernize how the nation builds energy infrastructure.
The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) announced its endorsement of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), a measure introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-UT), and ranking members Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The legislation targets the outdated federal permitting process, aiming to speed up transmission and energy infrastructure projects, improve long-term grid planning, and prevent data centers from pushing infrastructure costs onto American families and small businesses.
Specifically, BAAJA would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expanded authority over interstate power lines, mandate stronger regional grid planning and the use of grid-enhancing technologies, and streamline geothermal permitting. It also establishes firm deadlines for environmental reviews, restricts certain legal challenges and state water-quality reviews, provides cross-administration permitting stability, allows qualified states to handle some endangered-species consultations, and funds cleanup of abandoned hardrock mines. In a notable consumer protection measure, the bill would require data centers to shoulder more of the infrastructure costs they generate rather than passing those expenses to ratepayers.
Javier Palomarez, USHBC President and CEO, issued the following statement:
“Americans cannot afford a permitting system that stands in the way of producing the energy and building the infrastructure our economy needs. For Main Street businesses, years of delay and uncertainty meant higher electricity costs, weaker energy reliability, stalled investments, and fewer opportunities to hire and grow. BAAJA offers a serious, bipartisan path forward by establishing predictable timelines, expanding the grid, and making it easier to bring more energy online while preserving responsible environmental review. Permitting reform should not force America to choose between oil and gas or renewables, between economic growth and environmental stewardship, or between technological innovation and affordable electricity. We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy that supports and ensures American businesses, working families, and communities thrive and prosper. I commend Senators Capito, Lee, Whitehouse, and Heinrich for their leadership on this critically needed permitting reform. Congress has spent years talking about the need to build faster. This bipartisan agreement gives lawmakers an opportunity to finally act.”
The USHBC says it will keep working with Congress and the administration to push for affordable, reliable energy, responsible infrastructure development, and a pro-growth business climate for American small businesses. The group notes that meaningful permitting reform has not been enacted since 2005, even as the nation’s energy needs have shifted dramatically. The USHBC is urging the Senate to pass BAAJA and calling on lawmakers in both chambers to deliver durable reform.
To learn more, follow @myushbc and @JPalomarez on X.
Visit ushbc.com/join to become a member today.
About the USHBC
Javier Palomarez is the President & CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC). The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) is the leading voice for the Hispanic business community. A 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, the USHBC focuses on improving access to contracting in the public and private sectors, fair representation of Hispanics in business, media, and politics, and ensuring Hispanics have a voice in the national dialogue. The USHBC is a nonpartisan organization.
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Why it matters: With permitting rules untouched for two decades, the nation’s grid and energy projects have lagged behind modern demand. This endorsement signals broad business community alignment behind a rare bipartisan compromise that could reshape how quickly America builds — and who pays for it.
