Clean Energy EXPO 2026: Planning for a Reliable Clean Energy Future

The 29th Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum was held on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The event was hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses serving as honorary co-hosts. It featured six panels, including Planning for a Reliable Clean Energy Future.

Highlights

JC Sandberg, Chief Policy Officer, American Clean Power Association (ACP)

• Permitting reform promises to shorten infrastructure project timelines and provide developers and investors with economic certainty.
• While clean energy projects are not bleeding capital, some investors are reconsidering financing these projects amid growing political unpredictability and long project timelines.
• American Clean Power is working to advance or protect the trade policy and manufacturing incentives—like the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (45X)— critical to securing permitting reform. These incentives need to be allocated to the right things in the right ways, such as for onshoring critical mineral supply chains to support clean energy.

Jeffrey A. Leahey, Board Member, National Hydropower Association (NHA)

• While hydropower constitutes approximately 6% of total U.S. electricity generation, it contributes exceptional reliability benefits to the grid. About 40% of all black start capability—the capacity to restore the grid after a blackout—comes from the hydropower industry. Pumped storage accounts for an estimated 88% of all utility-scale energy storage in the United States.
• The hydropower industry is experiencing a renaissance driven by Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (L. 117-169) tax policies, specifically the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC). New pumped storage projects are eligible under the ITC, and public entities are eligible for elective pay under both the ITC and PTC. The credits prompt owners and developers to reinvest in existing projects and pursue new builds.
• Hydropower faces the most complex and lengthy permitting process of any energy resource. Relicensing existing projects is required every 30 to 50 years and can take up to 20 years to complete. Permitting reform is incomplete for the hydropower industry unless it includes reforms to the Federal Power Act (FPA) of 1920, the primary statute governing hydropower licensing; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (L. 91-190); Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1977 Section 401 (P.L. 95-217); and Endangered Species Act (P.L. 93-205).

Charles Bolden, Senior Director of Congressional Affairs, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

• Solar and storage together represent a critical solution to meeting the surging U.S. electricity demand which is already driving up customer utility bills.
• Failure to complete permitting reform in the 119th Congress will create a significant bottleneck for projects needed to meet current and future demand growth.
• SEIA is working with lawmakers across the aisle to build durable, lasting legislation that provides long-term policy certainty for investors and developers.

Lisa Epifani, Head of Policy, ClearPath

• The House has advanced permitting reform by passing the SPEED Act (R.4776), the ePermit Act (H.R.4503), and the PERMIT Act (H.R.3898) in late 2025 alongside Clean Water Act fixes. The bills have not yet passed the Senate.
• Effective permitting reform requires accountability (deadlines and court guardrails), transparency for developers and communities, and finality (permit certainty).
• China brought nearly 400 gigawatts (GW) of new generation online in the past few years, compared to roughly 50 GW built by the United States during the same period. This generation gap threatens U.S. competitiveness.
• Modernizing the grid is equally critical to solving grid challenges. FERC’s June 18, 2026, order on large-load interconnection is a positive step toward reforming the tangled interconnection queue, an issue ClearPath has been raising with Congressional offices alongside broader grid innovation opportunities. Making fuller use of the existing grid improves both affordability and speed.

Kyle Davis, Senior Director of Policy Research and Strategy Insights, Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA)

• The three related priorities of permitting reform are 1) reforming environmental statutes and litigation timelines, 2) ensuring permitting certainty and technology neutrality, and 3) pursuing transmission reform.
• Post-decision litigation windows under NEPA can last up to six years, delaying financing and construction even after a final permitting decision.
• CEBA supports the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program and Transmission Facilitation Program to expand capacity using existing transmission infrastructure.
• The surge we are seeing in electricity demand is an opportunity for large energy buyers to help finance modernization of an aging grid, much of which dates to the 1950s and 1960s.

Compiled by Jasmyn Mirsepahi and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.

2026 Clean Energy EXPO Policy Forum

Panel 1    Lowering Household Energy Bills
Panel 2    Managing Data Center Energy Demand
Panel 3    Planning for a Reliable Clean Energy Future
Panel 4    Innovating Next-Generation Energy Systems
Panel 5    Improving Building Resilience and Efficiency
Panel 6    Building Reliable and Resilient Energy Systems

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