House Passes Key Bill In Nod To Trump Admin

Recent permitting delays for Democratic-backed clean energy projects have garnered bipartisan support for permitting reform.

As AI has become a major industry and power-hungry data centers have put more strain on the electric grid, pressure has grown on Congress to take action.

The SPEED Act would enable the United States to be “nimble enough to build what we need, when we need it,” according to Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, the bill’s Democratic cosponsor.

However, the majority of Democrats opposed the SPEED Act and insisted that any permitting bill reverse President Donald Trump’s efforts to stifle offshore wind and other renewable energy sources.

The GOP leadership’s insertion of language to exempt Trump’s attempts to block renewables from provisions in the SPEED Act that would limit the White House’s ability to arbitrarily yank permits it dislikes intensified Democratic resistance.

During a procedural vote on the House floor, conservatives opposed to renewable energy demanded concessions in exchange for their votes, leading to the addition of the amendment.