WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
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WHAT → happen → ?
Fall is in full swing here in D.C., and that means Callie is back in her kitchen experimenting with fun new bakes.
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Callie → mean → bakes
This week, she made a pumpkin loaf with a cream cheese icing, check it out here.
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she → make → it
Do you have any fun fall recipes?
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you → have → recipes
Let us know!
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us → let → ?
- In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, we’re giving you all you need to know about where permitting reform negotiations stand.
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negotiations → give → all
Don’t get too excited, we don’t have any draft text for you yet, and it’s sounding like a vote in the Senate won’t happen until November.
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vote → get → November
If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here.
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you → send → you
If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
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we → sign → list
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH PERMITTING REFORM?
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WHAT → go → REFORM
As of today, the Senate is leaning toward no deal on permitting reform.
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Senate → lean → reform
“I think it’s worse than nearly dead.
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it → think → ?
It sounds dead dead,” Utah Sen. John Curtis told Washington Examiner alum Cami Mondeaux earlier today.
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Curtis → sound → Mondeaux
There was hope yesterday afternoon that negotiators in the Senate would soon release text of a draft permitting bill, after the White House signaled it would ease up on President Donald Trump’s crackdown on wind and solar projects.
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it → be → projects
Bloomberg reported that the administration told Democrats that it would move forward on roughly 30 wind projects out of 300 that have been put on pause by the Pentagon.
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that → report → Pentagon
This marked a major concession from the White House, as Democrats have long expressed concerns about supporting a permitting reform bill without a commitment from the administration to allow renewable energy projects to move forward.
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projects → mark → administration
For many in Washington, this meant the deal was all but finalized.
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deal → mean → Washington
“We had more than a structure of a deal,” key negotiator and Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito told Bloomberg.
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Capito → have → Bloomberg
Overnight, however, Democrats appeared to slow things down.
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Democrats → appear → things
“The administration and congressional Republicans agreed to a strong bipartisan offer.
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administration → agree → offer
The Democrats have since refused to take yes for an answer,” a White House official told Punchbowl.
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official → refuse → Punchbowl
“If they think that the administration is going to freeze these concessions until the lame duck, they are severely mistaken.”
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they → think → duck
By this morning, top Democratic negotiator Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told reporters that a vote on permitting likely wouldn’t happen before the midterm elections.
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vote → tell → elections
In addition to securing more assurances from the administration, the delay now is to put the legislation before stakeholders and other members of the party.
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delay → secure → party
“You tend to get a bad reaction when you jam members asking them to vote on things they haven’t seen,” Whitehouse said this morning, per Argus Media.
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Whitehouse → tend → Media
Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich also told Punchbowl that he would hate to see permitting reform “kicked to the curb” due to a vote being “jammed” early next week.
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vote → tell → curb
While he doubts the Senate can vote on the matter before the midterms, Heinrich said a date can be set for a certain vote.
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date → doubt → vote
With the Senate still in session for the next week, some Republicans are accusing Democrats of preventing the GOP from obtaining a win before the midterms.
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Republicans → accuse → midterms
What could be included in the bill?
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What → include → bill
If the Senate is able to strike a deal, a draft bill is expected to include provisions reforming parts of the National Environmental Policy Act, such as the length of judicial reviews.
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bill → strike → reviews
Democrats have pushed for transmission measures to accelerate the interconnection of renewable energy resources, while Republicans have also called for provisions streamlining reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act.
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Republicans → push → Act
While no text has formally been floated as of this afternoon, several reports have indicated that the bill would include language regarding utility rate hikes and data centers.
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bill → float → hikes
Time running out:
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Time → run → ?
The Senate is scheduled to break for midterm election campaigns at the end of next week, though depending on voting schedules, members could be sent home early.
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members → schedule → schedules
It’s looking increasingly unlikely that the Senate would hold a vote on permitting reform before heading home for midterm campaigns, particularly as the House will not return until after the November elections.
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House → look → elections
Punting permitting to November is a risk, as Democrats are poised to regain the majority in the House.
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Democrats → punt → House
It’s not unprecedented for legislation to be passed in a lame-duck decision, though some Democrats may be hesitant to get on board with a Republican-led bill.
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Democrats → ’ → bill
Meanwhile, the White House may be less eager to give Democrats any concessions after losing the House majority.
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House → give → majority
Still, there is a sense across the aisle that momentum for permitting reform will not falter.
“If it gets passed in November instead of September, it’s still a big win for the American people,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Politico this afternoon.
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Wright → be → Politico
“We want to get permitting reform done.”
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reform → want → ?
…and 52 more, not listed.
The Aporia
