Wyoming Chambers to Congress: Fix the Permit Logjam

Wyoming’s business community is singing from the same songbook — and it’s aimed squarely at Capitol Hill. A slate of local chambers — including Campbell County, Casper, Greater Cheyenne, Platte County, Riverton, Rock Springs, the Wyoming State Chamber, and “Your” Wyoming Chamber of Commerce — has joined a national coalition urging Congress to pass bipartisan permitting reform, WVNews.com reports.

The ask is simple: modernize a sluggish, confusing approval system so communities can actually build the stuff everyone says they want — faster internet, safer roads, cleaner water systems, and next-gen energy projects.

“These reforms aren’t just bureaucratic tweaks,” said Dale Steenbergen, president and CEO of the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce. “They’re the key to unlocking projects that create jobs, strengthen local economies, and improve quality of life in Wyoming and across the country.”

In a joint letter to Congress, the Wyoming chambers backed four big fixes:

• Predictability: Clear timelines so developers and lenders know what to expect.
• Efficiency: Real interagency coordination to cut duplicative reviews and wasted time.
• Transparency: Public, trackable milestones and schedules for permits.
• Stakeholder Input: Legit opportunities for communities and businesses to be heard — without derailing projects for years.

From broadband buildouts on the plains to water upgrades and energy facilities in boom-and-bust towns, companies are ready to invest. But outdated rules keep projects in paperwork purgatory, driving up costs and pushing back benefits like reliable power and high-speed internet.

The message from Wyoming’s chambers is blunt: communities are ready to build. What’s in the way is a permitting system stuck in a different era — and Congress is the only one that can pull it into this one.