Post by U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Our 2026 Environmental Innovation Summit made clear that businesses are ready to help solve America’s environmental challenges—but they need policies that enable investment, construction, and deployment at scale. Across discussions, leaders from business, government, and academia emphasized that innovation is already underway; now, permitting certainty, infrastructure capacity, and public-private coordination are needed to turn it into real-world progress. Highlights of the day included: 🔹 Amazon Web Services (AWS) VP Shannon K. underscored the importance of permitting reform to help companies build AI infrastructure, modernize the grid, and develop water systems. “If Congress can act and give us certainty around permitting processes related to transmission roll-outs, that is going to be really helpful,” he said. 🔹 Dr. Neil Jacobs, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Administrator of NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, highlighted how NOAA is leveraging private sector innovation to modernize forecasting and expand access to critical weather data, saying, “The future is going to be cloud based, the data stays put, the forecasters have laptop access to the data, and they can literally do their job from anywhere.” 🔹 Thomas Isberg, Vice President of Research and Development at Solstice Advanced Materials emphasized that innovation depends on both skilled workers and strong partnerships, noting, “We can’t be successful without great relationships with our partners and customers.” 🔹 NOAA’s Dr. Tim Petty noted the need for collaboration across agencies to further environmental efforts and make tangible progress, saying, “There’s all these multiple areas of agencies that have to come together, and that is a huge priority for us to be working hand in glove.” 🔹 The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Dustin Sherer stressed the importance of working directly with local communities to fully understand the issue at hand. “The best way to evaluate and hear from the locals is to get out on the ground,” he said. “We like being out, seeing the projects, and talking with the folks that work day-to-day on the projects on the issues they see.” 🔹 Amanda Cimaglia of James Hardie Building Products emphasized that improving housing affordability and resilience depends on broader adoption across the building sector. “We have smarter material choices, we have smarter designs, we can build back better and more resiliently and more sustainably than ever before, but we have to have these conversations, we have to try awareness and continue to drive adoption.” Speakers shared a clear commitment to turning innovation into action, and the U.S. Chamber is ready to help drive that work forward. These efforts matter because America’s growth depends on the infrastructure, resources, technology, and regulatory certainty businesses need to invest, build, and deliver solutions for the future.