In its current form, permit reform legislation jeopardizes environmental safeguards while gaining little in return. How do we counter dangerous deregulation with progress rooted in kinship? Today's episode, featuring Hannah Story Brown, deputy research director at the Revolving Door Project, and Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director at the Western Environmental Law Center, dives into this question along with the biggest threats unfolding at the federal level right now. At its core, permit reform is an effort to make the process for reviewing, permitting, and developing new projects easier and more efficient. In an ideal world, this would accelerate the transition to renewables, making it easier for communities to set up solar arrays, wind farms, etc. with fewer roadblocks to getting broadly beneficial infrastructure in place. Democratic decision-making and the best available science could guide this build out and secure equitable, clean energy access for generations to come. Sounds amazing, right? Except, in the actual world of 2026 and Trump 2.0, this utopian vision gets complicated. Rather than strengthening agency capacity to manage projects responsibly, implementing guidelines to make sure new development fits within lifesaving emissions reduction goals, or forming community-led feedback systems that would ensure those on the frontline of a project’s impact get their voices heard, permit reform supporters at the federal level are okay with asking for much less in exchange for, let's see, nearly all the safeguards we have. In fact, as illustrated by the latest bill attempt announced as of last week, they’re apparently willing to sacrifice the whole forest for a few trees. The bill, deceptively titled the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act,” isn’t an efficient answer to getting renewables built. It’s a trap, and, like the Big Beautiful Bill before it, a transfer of power from the public to corporations and private developers. By reducing Endangered Species Act considerations to a “nice to have,” undercutting the applicability of state and Tribal Clean Water Act provisions, and slicing up timelines for challenging bad projects, the new permit reform bill is yet another massive handout to fossil fuel executives and Big Tech. We’ll have more resources on this bill in the days ahead, and for now, you can take action by contacting your U.S. senators and representatives to oppose this legislation ASAP. If you'd like some helpful context first, though, we recommend checking out the interview here with Hannah and Erik. This episode will guide you through how this legislation emerged, who’s behind the deregulatory “Abundance” agenda, and where community organizers, policy nerds, and anyone who cares about what our shared futures look like can channel their energy rather than making a deal approved by Trump's team and anti-public lands voices like Senator Mike Lee. Thank you for listening, and if you have questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes, please let us know in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storiesofkinship.substack.com
