Senate Energy Bill Would Fine Any President Who Blocks A Whole Class Of Energy Projects

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation meant to stop any future administration from shutting down permitting for a whole category of energy projects, such as solar or wind. According to a fact sheet from sponsor Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would expose an administration to legal action and fines if it tried that. Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Mike Lee and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joined Heinrich in introducing it Wednesday, according to Daily Caller.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, told the Daily Caller News Foundation the faster court review is the bill's key feature: challengers would get 150 days to sue over a permitted project, versus six years now. Thomas Hochman of the Foundation for American Innovation said courts' interpretation will affect how well the protections work, but the layered approach should make politically motivated obstruction much harder. He cited a higher bar for pulling permits, a new cause of action for developers, and enforceable decision deadlines.

Earlier this year, Heinrich's office cited the Trump administration's freeze on offshore wind approvals and its holdup of more than 500 clean energy projects.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Caller’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Caller →