Senate Advances Sweeping Energy Permitting Bill, but Trump Says He ‘Will Not Approve Wind Turbines’

The Senate voted 73-25 Monday to advance a sweeping bipartisan bill to speed up permits for pipelines, power lines and data centers, shortly after President Donald Trump said he would not approve wind turbines the bill is meant to help.

The vote was the Senate’s first major action since last week’s election, the Associated Press reported. It formally opens debate on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act and sets it on a path toward a final vote.

Twenty-two Democrats voted yes, while Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota was the only Republican to vote no, the Washington Examiner reported. Several senators who voted to proceed have not committed to backing final passage.

Trump told reporters he was behind the bill “100 percent.” But asked about wind power, he said, “No, I will not approve wind turbines,” The Hill reported.

“The bill hasn’t been fully negotiated. I will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.”

The remark cuts against a key reason Democrats signed on. The deal aims to speed up all forms of energy, including renewables like wind.

It was negotiated by Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Mike Lee of Utah and Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

One provision would bar administrations from revoking permits already issued, which Trump has tried to do for offshore wind projects. Another would let developers sue the government over “disparate treatment” of certain energy sources.

The administration has spent nearly $4 billion paying companies to drop offshore wind projects, the Associated Press reported. Whitehouse said the bill would end those buyouts.

The 494-page measure would limit how long lawsuits can drag on and narrow reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act, Axios reported. It would also make data centers pay for the grid upgrades they need.

“Americans can’t afford to wait for lower electricity prices. We need to pass this bill now,” Heinrich said.

Trump had urged senators on Sunday to vote yes, calling the bill a “BIG WIN for U.S. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE and DOMINANCE” that would let the country “build Pipelines, Mines, and Power Plants faster than ever before.”

Industry groups on both sides back it, including the American Petroleum Institute and the American Clean Power Association. The Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation and several tribal groups oppose it, saying it weakens environmental protections and limits court challenges.

The bigger hurdle may be the House. Democrats there want to wait until they hold majorities in both chambers next year, the Washington Examiner reported, and the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said last week that the bill “falls short.”

Whitehouse said Trump’s support should help it get a House vote. Analysts at Jefferies wrote that the House “now appears to be the binding constraint,” Axios reported.

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