After years of failed attempts, senators appear to have struck a bipartisan deal aimed at tearing down regulatory roadblocks that can make building big things in the United States impossible.
The sweeping Senate proposal unveiled Wednesday afternoon by leaders of key energy and environmental committees would rewrite project review rules and speed up legal challenges that consistently stymie large energy and transportation projects.
The agreement, which would be voted on after the midterm elections, comes as clean energy developers join the fossil fuel industry in warning the U.S. system for approving projects is badly broken. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, a rare across-the-aisle effort, was immediately praised by groups including the Solar Energy Industries Association and the American Petroleum Institute.
The 417-page bill would speed up the pace at which agencies grant permits, limit the time project opponents have to litigate, and put restrictions on the ability of the White House to unilaterally block developments such as the wind and solar projects President Donald Trump has stymied. It is focused on building out the power grid, as construction delays threaten to drive up electricity prices substantially.
“This should lower electricity costs measurably for Americans,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island). “This should increase clean power significantly for Americans. … This should contribute to a lift in America’s overall economy.”
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