Senate reaches bipartisan deal on permitting bill to speed approvals of new energy projects
Senators from both parties said Wednesday they have reached a bipartisan deal on legislation aimed at speeding up permitting reviews for new energy and infrastructure projects that now face yearslong delays as lawmakers seek to meet growing demand for electricity and other forms of energy.
A bill aimed at shielding Americans from energy costs attributed to data centers failed to advance in the Senate. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which had been approved by the House of Representatives in September with an almost unanimous vote, fell short in the Senate with a 57 to 43 vote, not meeting the 60-vote margin needed.
According to CBS News, Senate Democrats blocked the GOP-led effort, arguing that it did not go far enough to address energy consumption. PBS NewsHour reported that the bill's failure was due to an election-year clash on how best to address voter concerns about data centers and their impact on energy costs.
The bill's failure occurred as the Senate held its final votes before the midterms, with data centers and their impact on consumer electricity bills emerging as a top voter concern.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, CBS News, The Guardian US, Guardian Technology — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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