{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-cortez-masto-introduce-bill-to-accelerate-energy-projects-stalled-by-red-tape/", "Cotton, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Accelerate Energy Projects Stalled By Red Tape", "2026-06-16", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "page_html", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Hannah McCarthy (202) 465-5601\n\nJune 16, 2026\n\nCotton, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Accelerate Energy Projects Stalled By Red Tape\n\nWashington, DC \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) today introduced bipartisan legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape that is often used to unnecessarily delay energy projects. The Fighting for Reliable Energy and Ending Doubt for Open Markets (FREEDOM) Act would eliminate excessive litigation against fully permitted energy projects.\n\n\u201cEndless lawsuits delay vital energy projects, resulting in higher energy prices for Arkansans. My bill will eliminate bureaucratic red tape to streamline energy projects,\u201d said Senator Cotton.\n\n\u201cFor far too long, energy projects across the country have been slowed by bureaucracy. The bipartisan FREEDOM Act is a critical first step in slashing this unnecessary red tape so we can meet the energy needs of the future and unlock America\u2019s full potential,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto.\n\nText of the bill can be found here.\n\nThe Fighting for Reliable Energy and Ending Doubt for Open Markets (FREEDOM) Act would:\n\nEmpower project sponsors to file court petitions with expedited review.\n\nBan federal agencies from revoking permits, issuing stop-work orders, or halting construction on fully permitted projects that do not meet a narrow set of extreme circumstances.\n\nEmpower project sponsors to hire qualified contractors to complete administrative work at no cost to the project when non-negotiable timelines are missed by agencies.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-03T09:29:33Z", "2026-09-03T09:31:32Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-cortez-masto-introduce-bill-to-accelerate-energy-projects-stalled-by-red-tape/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4599249698221684, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}