Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026
This bill modifies federal permitting processes, including environmental reviews, to expedite a wide range of projects.
The bill limits the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act and expedites environmental reviews, including by
further limiting the types of federal actions that trigger environmental review,
narrowing the range of alternatives that must be considered in environmental reviews, and
exempting additional types of projects from environmental review.
It also establishes deadlines for issuing permits once an environmental review is complete.
The bill also limits permit obligations under the Clean Water Act, including by
narrowing the scope of review for water quality certifications,
extending the term for permits issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, and
limiting the time period for review of permits for discharges of dredged or fill materials.
It also modifies requirements concerning threatened or endangered species to expedite the review of federal permits, including by shortening the timeline for certain consultations.
Additionally, the bill addresses numerous aspects of energy infrastructure permitting, including by
expanding the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue construction permits for certain interstate electricity transmission projects;
directing FERC to establish ratepayer protections related to certain large computational loads (e.g. data centers);
removing permit requirements for onshore oil and gas drilling on nonfederal land; and
accelerating renewable energy, geothermal, hydropower, or offshore energy projects.
It also limits the scope of the National Historic Preservation Act, including by limiting what types of projects trigger review.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on September 30, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 30, 2026: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Shelley Capito (R-WV) introduced it on September 30, 2026, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 30, 2026, 45 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 45 days ago, on September 30, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers