Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) today introduced legislation to streamline America’s energy projects by ensuring a project can move forward without being trapped in perpetual legal battles. The Curtailing Litigation Excess and Abuse Reform Act of 2025 (CLEAR Act) eliminates excessive litigation against energy projects while maintaining stringent environmental standards. 

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

“Activist groups have long weaponized our legal system to attack promising energy projects, filing lawsuit after lawsuit to grind progress to a halt. The CLEAR Act puts a end to this serial litigation,” said Congressman Balderson. “To unleash American energy, lower costs, and strengthen our energy security, we must restore predictability and common sense to our permitting system.”

“Cutting-edge American energy infrastructure is critical for everything from lowering energy costs to winning the AI race,” said Senator Cotton. “Unfortunately, these projects often get delayed by frivolous litigation. My bill will end this nonsense and streamline the process to restore American energy dominance.” 

The CLEAR Act would:

• Ensure that once a court has ruled on an energy project, opponents can’t drag it back into court repeatedly. 
  
• Prevent activist groups from filing serial lawsuits to block projects they oppose ideologically, while still preserving legitimate avenues for oversight and enforcement. 
  
• Enable critical energy infrastructure to be built faster by limiting costly delays. Create certainty for investors and communities. 
  
• Maintain exceptions for certain lawsuits after a project is running. 
  
• Support America’s energy independence, grid reliability, and access to critical minerals needed for modern technology.