Building America Again: Senator Alan Armstrong on Fixing Permitting and Energy Policy

In this episode of American Potential, host David From sits down with U.S. Senator Alan Armstrong to discuss one of the biggest barriers to American growth: the broken permitting process. Drawing on decades of experience in the energy industry, Senator Armstrong explains how excessive regulation, legal challenges, and bureaucratic overlap have made it nearly impossible to build critical infrastructure—even when projects are already completed. From billion-dollar pipelines being shut down to states blocking interstate energy projects, he highlights the real-world consequences for energy costs, reliability, and national security. The conversation also explores key legislation like the SPEED Act and the PERMIT Act, and why meaningful reform requires more than surface-level fixes. Armstrong shares his perspective on what policymakers often get wrong—and why now is a critical moment to get it right. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how policy decisions shape America’s ability to build, compete, and thrive—and why fixing permitting is essential to the country’s future.