The U.S. House of Representatives kicked off the week with a major move that will make President Donald Trump happy.
The House voted 213 to 184 to pass legislation aimed at speeding up federal permitting for interstate natural gas pipelines.
The bill would designate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency for pipeline permitting reviews.
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Under the legislation, FERC would be allowed to consider water quality assessments as part of its environmental review, rather than waiting for separate Clean Water Act certifications from states.
Supporters say state-level certifications have often delayed pipeline approvals for years.
The bill is titled the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act and is one of several measures in Congress that aim to accelerate federal permitting processes.
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Another bill, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, also passed the House with bipartisan support.
Lawmakers have made broad permitting reform a priority as they seek to expand energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand.
That demand has grown in part due to the rapid expansion of data centers across the country.
Faster permitting could help reduce household energy costs, particularly by enabling quicker construction of energy projects that can increase supply and competition in the market.
The agency has approved most natural gas pipeline proposals that have come before it recently.
The Trump administration has been aggressively working on this.
FERC proposed sweeping reforms to its blanket permitting process for natural gas facilities.
These changes allow companies to construct certain pipelines and related facilities without needing case-by-case Commission authorization.
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The reforms aim to cut red tape, accelerate construction of critical infrastructure, and support affordable, reliable energy.
On the same day, FERC revised its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures for more efficient permitting.
This was directed by President Trump’s Executive Order 14154 (“Unleashing American Energy,” issued January 20, 2025), which prioritizes energy dominance through streamlined reviews.
FERC also waived Order No. 871 (which had delayed construction authorizations while rehearing requests were pending) and moved toward its permanent repeal, while temporarily raising cost thresholds for modifications without full certificates.
The DOE also announced up to $65.5 million in cost-shared funding for research, development, and deployment projects to advance domestic oil and natural gas production and delivery.
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The funding supports technologies that maximize stranded or underutilized resources (including converting flared or contaminated gas), improve infrastructure efficiency and reliability, and strengthen the supply chain.
Overall production and LNG exports have reached or are projected to hit record levels under the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda.
This comes after Trump announced the early details of the historic oil deal with Venezuela.
Trump’s administration has unveiled new details of a sweeping oil agreement with Venezuela that could dramatically strengthen American energy security, give U.S. interests access to roughly 65 billion barrels of proven crude reserves and eventually provide relief for families facing elevated prices at the pump.
The agreement covers 17 Venezuelan oil fields and gives North American Blue Energy Partners, or NABEP, 100-year development rights, while the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital will hold a 35% ownership stake in the company overseeing the projects.
The White House says the arrangement comes “at zero cost” to the United States, while NABEP has committed approximately $100 billion toward rebuilding Venezuela’s badly deteriorated oil infrastructure.
Under another critical provision, the United States will have guaranteed access to purchase 20% of NABEP’s oil production at cost, while the State Department receives the right of first refusal on the remaining 80%, giving Washington enormous influence over where the crude ultimately goes.
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The U.S. will also hold veto power over NABEP’s board and directors, with a majority of board members required to be American citizens, creating substantial American oversight over an energy operation involving some of the world’s most valuable petroleum reserves.
The deal could become especially important for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which held only about 290 million barrels as of Aug. 21.
Trump said Venezuelan crude will be used to begin replenishing that critical national stockpile, describing the oil as a “Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.”
The agreement also represents a geopolitical victory because several fields being transferred to the U.S.-backed operator were previously controlled by Chinese companies or a Russian firm, redirecting valuable energy production away from American adversaries and toward U.S. refineries and markets.
Production from the 17 fields is eventually targeted to rise as high as 1.5 million barrels per day, with most output expected to flow toward the United States as the aging Venezuelan energy network is repaired and modernized.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the arrangement as a win-win capable of delivering stable, lower-cost oil to America while attracting enormous private investment and creating thousands of jobs connected to the redevelopment effort.
The crude is particularly useful for Gulf Coast refineries in Texas and Louisiana that are already configured to process Venezuela’s heavy petroleum, potentially providing those facilities with a major new supply source closer to home.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
