A bipartisan group of senators is scrambling to reach a permitting reform deal before the midterms, driven by surging electricity demand from data centers and manufacturing. The source reports that lawmakers from both parties say this attempt has more momentum than any previous effort, but the bill's public reception is uncertain and negotiations are still ongoing.
Two main sticking points have emerged. First, data centers are a "toxic" subject for voters, according to pollster Alex Lundry, with strong bipartisan opposition to local data center construction. That puts legislators in a bind: they want to ease the way for electrical infrastructure that enables the data center boom, but they do not want voters to think the bill is about data centers. Second, Democrats are worried that even if the law makes it easier to build renewables, the White House could still block them in practice. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said he needs more clarity on what the Trump administration's return to "regular order" for wind and solar actually means.
The draft bill's contents are not public, but stakeholders expect it to reduce the environmental and social impacts agencies must consider, loosen Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act requirements for transmission and pipeline permits, and make approved permits less vulnerable to lawsuits. Such changes would ease construction for both renewable and fossil fuel projects, especially solar and natural gas, both of which support reform. Senators reportedly intend to finish the bill after the midterm elections, when it may compete with other legislation for attention.