Young Americans do not need another lecture about cutting back. They need an economy that can produce more of the things they rely on. Electricity bills are rising, and buying a first home can feel out of reach. Even young professionals with solid incomes may put off moving out, saving money, or starting a family. Many factors contribute to these costs, but one is easy to overlook: building new things in America has become remarkably difficult.
With Congress returning after the midterms, lawmakers have a chance to address that problem. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, introduced in September by senators from both parties, would speed up federal reviews for energy and infrastructure projects. It offers an early test of whether affordability will guide policy or remain a political catchphrase.
Permitting may sound like a remote bureaucratic issue, until a power plant or transmission line is held up for years. Lengthy environmental reviews, overlapping rules, and lawsuits can delay projects even after they appear technically and economically viable. The extra time adds costs and discourages investment, just as demand for electricity is growing.
The bill would change environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and parts of the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act. It would also make it easier to approve some interstate transmission lines and limit the reasons states could use to deny water-quality certifications under the Clean Water Act.
States have a real responsibility to protect water and other natural resources. Still, a review process needs to reach a decision. Protecting the environment and allowing delays without end are not the same thing.
Take SunZia, a transmission line about 550 miles long that carries electricity from New Mexico to Arizona. Development began in 2008, but construction did not start until 2023, following years of permitting disputes and challenges involving federal land and historic sites. The project needed approval from multiple federal and state agencies, and it finally began operating in June. Nearly two decades passed between the idea and its completion.
That does not mean every objection was baseless. It does illustrate what can happen when essential infrastructure must clear one layer of approvals after another before people can benefit from it.
New York’s Valley Lateral pipeline is another example. In 2017, the state denied a water-quality certification for the nearly eight-mile pipeline, which was intended to supply the CPV Valley Energy Center. Federal regulators found that New York had missed the legal deadline, a conclusion later upheld by a federal appeals court. The power plant has operated since 2018, but getting it up and running involved an expensive dispute over which agency had the final say.
Young Americans are particularly affected by rising costs. They are less likely to own a home or have enough savings to cushion a financial hit. An extra $200 a month for housing and utilities can mean a lot to a 25-year-old trying to get established. It may mean much less to a wealthy retiree who has paid off a home.
Housing also faces its own permitting hurdles. Federal energy legislation will not undo restrictive local zoning or speed every apartment project. But the broader issue is similar: when government makes building harder, essential goods become scarcer and more expensive. This week, New York City voters approved measures to centralize permitting and shorten approval timelines for some city projects. Support for practical reforms is not limited to Washington.
For decades, the country grew wealthier by building factories, highways, homes, power plants, and businesses. The next generation should have that opportunity too. Young Americans need dependable electricity, more places to live, and an economy that can expand without getting stuck in paperwork.
Permitting reform matters to Gen Z. If Washington wants to make life more affordable, it should start by making it easier to build.
