Sen. Alan Armstrong is making waves with legislation that could unleash American energy production — and he’s only been in office a few months.
The Oklahoma Republican, appointed earlier this year to replace now-Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, introduced the American Energy and Mineral Infrastructure Act of 2026 — a sweeping package aimed at gutting the permitting red tape strangling U.S. energy projects.
Armstrong stepped down as CEO of the Oklahoma-based Williams Companies, a natural gas processor and transporter, to take the Senate seat through the end of the year. His sole focus: permitting reform.
“There’s no magic, overnight fix to lower prices, but comprehensive, meaningful permitting reform will ensure that the U.S. remains the global leader in energy.”
Armstrong’s bill would make the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the lead agency approving interstate pipelines and LNG terminals — preventing a single state from blocking federally approved projects.
The package already has backing from Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Rick Scott of Florida, and Katie Britt of Alabama, along with nearly two dozen oil and gas companies.
The legislation would require “evidence-based” review for environmental decisions in the permitting process and expand Nationwide Permits under the EPA to create standardized approval for certain projects.
It also creates uniform requirements for projects affecting wetlands and waterways, and makes it easier to mine critical minerals on federal lands.
Armstrong’s package broadly reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — the law requiring federal agencies to study environmental impacts before approving projects. The bill would narrow what agencies analyze, clarify that NEPA is procedural law, limit expansive environmental reviews, and establish clearer rules for court challenges.
Armstrong said the legislation could turbocharge U.S. economic competitiveness against China by enabling American energy infrastructure to expand rapidly.
“When we can build our own infrastructure and produce our own supply, our allies will be far less reliant on adversarial sources for their energy.”
Armstrong added: “The U.S. cannot afford to remain idle while our global competitors move ahead, and the cost of inaction will be paid directly by American consumers through higher utility bills.”
The package combines permitting reform ideas that have circulated in both chambers for years but never made it to the finish line. Armstrong is betting his brief Senate tenure can change that.
“America has got to be able to build again, or else we are leaving our kids a worse country than the one we inherited from previous generations,” Armstrong said. “I’m glad that my presence in the Senate these last few months has reinvigorated this conversation, and rest assured, I won’t be stepping off the gas.”
