The North American Energy Act streamlines the approval process for oil, natural gas, and electricity infrastructure crossing U.S. international borders. Instead of requiring multiple permits and presidential approval, companies would need a single "certificate of crossing" issued by either the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (for pipelines) or the Secretary of Energy (for power lines) within 90 days of completing environmental review. The bill accelerates natural gas imports and exports to Canada and Mexico to a 30-day approval timeline and eliminates the requirement for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders before transmitting electricity internationally. The bill excludes projects already operating or with pending permits as of enactment, maintains other existing regulatory requirements, and takes effect one year after passage, giving federal agencies 180 days to draft rules and one year to finalize them. Companies or other entities can challenge agency decisions in federal appeals court within 60 days.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.