Inside the Senate's Permitting Deal: What the Bipartisan Energy Bill Would Change, and Why the Clock Is Ticking
The Senate cleared a key 73-25 hurdle on a sweeping bill to speed approvals for pipelines, power lines and power plants, cap lawsuits and make data centers pay their share of the grid. With Democrats taking over Congress in January, supporters have weeks to get it done.
By AVA STERLINGEnergy & Environment · Nov 11, 7:00 PM
MAINE — For years, Republicans and Democrats have agreed on one thing about American energy: it takes far too long to build anything. This week, the Senate took its biggest step in a generation toward doing something about it.
On Monday, the Senate voted 73-25 to move forward on a sweeping permitting overhaul, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, according to the official roll call. Fifty-one Republicans and 21 Democrats voted yes, along with independent Sen. Angus King of Maine; Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, 23 Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted no.
The bill was introduced on Sept. 30 by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the West Virginia Republican who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, with Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, The Daily Caller reported. A revised version was released on Nov. 7.
At its core, the bill tries to make federal decisions faster and harder to tie up in court.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act, the law that requires federal environmental reviews, the bill would require a final decision on a project within 45 days of a…
