Democrats’ victory may threaten act to expedite energy projects

The Senate will vote on an act to speed up clean energy projects on Monday — and with Democrats’ recent electoral victory, it may not pass. In a statement to POLITICO, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he opposed the bill, joining some fellow Democrats. As Democrats will have a comfortable majority come January, they may decide to vote against the bill and negotiate a more favorable one when the 120th Congress begins.

“The legislation, called the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, or BAAJA, has support from business groups tied to renewable energy and fossil fuels. They tout its potential to reduce consumer energy costs by bringing new supplies online. The measure would ease regulatory barriers to build energy projects of just about every type—clean and dirty—and it would weaken the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act,” Dan Gearino and Marianne Lavelle write for Inside Climate News.

Lobbyist Chris Moyer, founder of Echo Communications Advisors, said he no longer hoped that BAAJA would pass on Monday. Instead, he told Inside Climate News that he wished for Democrats to preserve the parts of the bill that address clean energy roadblocks, but address the environmental concerns the bill raises in its current form.