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United States

Senate set to hold procedural vote on bipartisan energy permitting bill

The bill would speed federal approval of energy and infrastructure projects, a change with consequences for utility costs, data centers and business investment.

Photo: Boston Herald

What happened

The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote Monday on a bipartisan bill to speed federal approval of energy and infrastructure projects. Santa Fe New Mexican+1 The bill was unveiled by Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Republican Senators Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Mike Lee of Utah. Bloomberg President Donald Trump endorsed the bill in a social media post on Sunday and urged senators to vote in favour of it. Bloomberg The bill seeks to lower energy costs, create jobs and streamline the growth of projects such as electric grid expansion and data centers. Santa Fe New Mexican

Around it

The legislation is supported by groups including oil companies and renewable energy developers. Bloomberg House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposes the bill in its current form, arguing it has not received enough input from House Democrats. Boston Herald The bill faces mounting opposition from Native American tribes and environmental groups, and some progressive Democrats want to negotiate a better deal next year. Boston Herald Environmental advocates have raised concerns that the bill could speed up polluting projects and limit oversight of new data centers. The Verge

What comes next

Congress has two months remaining in session to pass the plan. Bloomberg+1

Sources

  1. Santa Fe New MexicanSenate set to vote on Heinrich permitting bill Monday
  2. BloombergTrump says he backs energy permitting bill on eve of Senate vote
  3. The VergeLame-duck Congress might actually do something: speed up energy projects
  4. Boston HeraldEnergy bill headed for a showdown

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