As Congress Takes a New Swing at Bipartisan Permitting Reform, Environmental Groups Are Calling Foul
Peter Joseph
371 Posts

This doesn't look good. Trump's attacks on clean energy projects has created an atmosphere of total mistrust about permitting reform. SAD!

5 Replies

Yes definitely @Peter Joseph, we heard that sentiment from a number of Democratic offices in our July lobbying, as well as similar prior comments from key permitting reform players like Senator Whitehose, who's mentioned in the article. I heard it from my MOC's staffer too. I think the administration's anti-wind and solar actions are the biggest obstacle to a comprehensive bipartisan permitting reform bill right now, because there's otherwise a lot of appetite for such a bill in both parties.

I think there are some ways to mitigate that concern. For example, using Sen. Manchin's specific inclusion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline permitting in prior bills as a template, and listing a bunch of clean energy projects in the new bill that will have to be permitted. But it certainly makes the permitting negotiating environment a lot more challenging.

@Peter Joseph
If this is what is meant by permit reform - cutting out public comment, making a decision in the dark and announcing it as final, and then leaving it up to conservationists and local communities to sue to overturn bad decisions, I must ask why support permit reform at all while the federal assault on the environment and renewables runs amok?

That's not permitting reform, @Michael Feeney.

@Dana Nuccitelli
I'm just wary of legitimate permit reform becoming a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Ricky Bradley
958 Posts

@Michael Feeney That's what we're advocating against. I hope you're in with us!

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