Oklahoma Senator Alan Armstrong on Fixing America's Broken Permitting System | 13th & Park

Send us Fan MailOklahoma Senator Alan Armstrong joins Adam Goodman on 13th and Park for a candid conversation about what happens when a career energy executive trades the boardroom for the Senate floor with a singular mission and a nine-month clock. Armstrong spent nearly four decades at the Williams Companies, rising to CEO of the Tulsa-based firm that handles roughly one-third of America's natural gas, before Governor Stitt tapped him to fill the vacancy left by Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen. His focus from day one: the most comprehensive permitting reform proposal in congressional history.Armstrong breaks down why permitting reform matters far beyond its dry, technical-sounding name. He connects the dots between a culture of blocking infrastructure projects and the soaring utility bills hitting American households, particularly in the Northeast, where opposition to natural gas pipelines has left residents paying $4.50 a gallon for heating oil instead of the natural gas equivalent of $0.46. He recalls a pivotal meeting with then-Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, who openly told him cheap natural gas was unwelcome because it would undercut the political pressure to invest in greener alternatives, a candid admission Armstrong says the public never got to hear.The senator is equally candid about the challenge of building a bipartisan coalition in a Senate paralyzed ahead of the midterms. He describes the frustration of watching moderate Democrats, who privately understand the urgency, face relentless pressure to block anything that might be called a win for the current administration. His colleague John Barrasso, he says with a laugh, watches him wrestle with the politics and just shakes his head. Armstrong is clear-eyed about the timeline: he almost certainly will not be in the chamber when a signing ceremony happens, but he does not care whose name is on the bill. He just wants it done.Chapters0:00 Intro1:29 Host Introduction and Oklahoma Story2:15 The Call from Governor Stitt4:32 Family Reaction and the Landrieu Connection5:24 What Is Permitting Reform?7:43 Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Public Education9:46 Northeast Pipelines and Higher Emissions11:10 The Deval Patrick Meeting12:24 Building a Bipartisan Coalition14:53 China Is Building Faster Than America17:23 Texas Roots and the Williams Companies Legacy19:30 Building Infrastructure vs. Building Coalitions21:31 Legacy Beyond the Senate Term22:16 Appointed Senators Who Came Before23:15 Closing ThoughtsFollow Us!X: https://x.com/13thandParkIG: https://www.instagram.com/13th_and_park/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/13thandparkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13th_and_parkFollow Alan ArmstrongX: https://x.com/SenArmstrongIG: https://instagram.com/senarmstrongokWebsite: https://armstrong.senate.gov#alanarmstrong #permittingreform #energypolicy #naturalgas #oklahoma #usssenate #infrastructure #williamsscompanies #energydominance #13thandpark #politicalpodcast #washingtondc #bipartisan #americanenergy #congress #ballardpartners #utilitybills #energyindependence