For reliable energy we have to start building

America became a strong and prosperous nation because it built things. We built farms, factories, power plants, transmission lines, and the infrastructure allowing communities to grow and families to thrive. Iowa has been a major part of that story. Today, however, our permitting system has made it far too difficult to build even the most basic energy infrastructure needed to keep the lights on and the economy moving.

Electric demand in Iowa is rising. Manufacturing expansion, agricultural processing, and population growth in our metro areas all depend on reliable power. Private companies and utilities are ready to invest billions of dollars to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the grid, and expand capacity. What stands in the way is not a lack of capital or innovation, but a permitting system that rewards delay, confusion, and endless process.

Transmission projects illustrate the problem. Iowa needs new and upgraded lines to move electricity efficiently across the state and keep costs down for families and businesses. Instead, these projects often spend years trapped in approvals while grid congestion drives up energy prices. When infrastructure does not get built, jobs disappear, local tax bases stall, and communities lose out on long term opportunity. This is not a failure of the private sector. It is a failure of government to do its job.

A nation that cannot build cannot compete. Conservatives understand that regulation should exist to protect people and property, not to prevent progress and growth. Energy permitting today too often prioritizes paperwork over outcomes. Projects should be evaluated fairly, approved or denied based on facts, and allowed to move forward within clear timelines. Endless uncertainty helps no one.

Reliable energy is not a luxury. It is essential to economic growth, public safety, and national security. Family farms, manufacturers, hospitals, schools, and first responders all depend on a grid that works. If we want Iowa to remain competitive and America to remain strong and energy independent, we must be willing to build the infrastructure that supports that future.

Congress has taken a step in the right direction with the SPEED Act, which recently passed the U.S. House. The legislation would modernize federal permitting by streamlining environmental reviews and setting firm timelines. By focusing reviews on real world impacts, these reforms would help critical energy and transmission projects move forward with certainty.

Iowa has always understood how to balance stewardship with growth. Updating permitting rules at both the state and federal level would reflect the Iowa conservative values of efficiency, accountability, and respect for private investment. If we want affordable energy, strong communities, and a competitive economy, we need to be a state and a country that builds again.

Nick Boeyink is the executive director of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, a nonprofit organization advocating for pro-growth clean energy policy rooted in conservative principles.