All articles tagged with #permitting reform
President Trump’s decision to pause five offshore wind projects has sparked concern among allies and critics, as it threatens to increase electricity prices, hinder energy development, and complicate legislative efforts on permitting reform, amid ongoing debates over energy security and environmental policies.
Congress is working on a bill to streamline permitting for energy projects to address rising power prices and supply issues, but political disagreements and partisan tensions, especially involving President Trump’s stance, are complicating efforts to pass comprehensive reform.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright views offshore wind project halts as a temporary exception and emphasizes the need for permitting reform to accelerate infrastructure development, while also exploring nuclear waste management, climate science debates, and solar power growth as part of the US energy strategy.
The Supreme Court has significantly limited the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), reducing environmental review requirements for federal projects and potentially easing the approval process for energy and infrastructure developments, which could accelerate project timelines but also raise concerns about environmental oversight.
The National Hydropower Association and energy developers are warning that the regulatory process for new and existing hydropower projects is too burdensome, putting a reliable source of electricity for millions at risk. Hydropower supplies nearly 80,000 megawatts of the nation's power, but stakeholders argue it faces regulatory hurdles far greater than those facing other carbon-free sources of electricity. Without permitting reform that streamlines hydropower relicensing and licensing, facilities may be forced to shut down and energy developers may seek to invest elsewhere, jeopardizing the power of tens of millions of Americans.
The White House wants permitting reform proposals removed from negotiations with Republicans to raise the debt limit, according to senior adviser John Podesta. The two parties remain far apart on what type of energy infrastructure permitting updates should focus on, with Republicans overwhelmingly focusing on oil and gas permitting. Podesta laid out the White House's vision of hastening permits that focused almost exclusively on electric transmission projects to bring more renewable energy projects to the grid. The White House claims to have already sped up permitting compared to the Trump administration.
The White House will support Senator Joe Manchin's bill to speed up energy project permits, despite his recent calls to repeal parts of President Joe Biden's climate law. The bill would help clean power companies use incentives in the law. The Biden administration is willing to pressure some fellow Democratic lawmakers to support the permit bill. The legislation sets a two-year limit on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects and one year for smaller ones and directs the president to prioritize their permitting. The bill calls for completion of the $6.6 billion Equitrans Midstream Corp's Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would run through Manchin's state.