National security demands permitting reform according to new report from CSIS

As geopolitical conflicts around the world continue to escalate, a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), with the support of the American Gas Foundation, demonstrates the inextricable link between energy strength and national security. The report highlights the resiliency imperative for increased energy infrastructure, additional energy storage and an end to the ill-conceived ban on natural gas use in federal buildings, including America's military installations, set to begin next year.

"Energy security is national security. America's robust domestic energy resources are our strategic advantage in maintaining economic security and conflict readiness. Our abundant natural gas reserves have insulated American families and businesses from global price spikes while ensuring we can sustain our ability to lead the world in natural gas exports to our allies around the world," said American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert. "It is imperative that our natural gas infrastructure keeps pace with our domestic needs, and to do that we must modernize our outdated and costly permitting processes. Unleashing the full power of American energy and infrastructure is a critical national security imperative."

The study from CSIS projects that, under several mobilization scenarios analyzed, energy demand for defense-critical materials could increase two- to sixfold during the course of a conflict. To meet these needs reliably, energy dominance and defense readiness must be linked to ensure reliable energy access and to realize the full power of American industry.

The study presents key recommendations to fortify America's energy distribution and defense manufacturing capacity, including creating a dedicated permitting and finance pathway for energy assurance at designated industrial facilities, ending bans on natural gas infrastructure in federal buildings, especially military installations, and integrating energy resilience into defense supply chain risk assessments. The study underscores that the natural gas industry and natural gas utilities are essential for a reliable and resilient energy system especially as direct industrial fuel suppliers and as the backbone for the electric grids serving defense-critical industries.

According to Harbert, policies that delay the construction of natural gas infrastructure, including pipelines and storage facilities, jeopardize our energy security. They also impose some of the steepest costs and often insurmountable roadblocks to building out essential infrastructure. AGA has long advocated for robust permitting reform to unlock the opportunities of America's economic future while protecting affordability and reliability for American families and businesses. Learn more about the need for permitting reform in the AGA Playbook here.