Senate Democrats cut off permitting talks after Trump's newest 'assault' on wind [View all]

Source: Politico

12/22/2025 04:27 PM EST


Top Senate Democrats said Monday that they were freezing negotiations over legislation to overhaul permitting rules with Republicans after the Trump administration halted five offshore wind power farms that were already under construction.

That move from Democrats comes just days after the House passed the bipartisan the SPEED Act, which seeks to update the permitting and environmental requirements that energy developers must navigate to build pipelines, clean energy projects and transmission lines. That infrastructure will be critical for the country to meet fast-rising power demand driven in part by artificial intelligence data centers that are already driving up electricity prices.

“There was a deal to be had that would have taken politics out of permitting, made the process faster and more efficient, and streamlined grid infrastructure improvements nationwide,” Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a joint statement.

While Republicans have emphasized the need to remove the red tape that slows the development of fossil fuel pipelines and export facilities, Democrats have favored power grid investments they say are needed to expand the reach of renewable power sources like solar and wind power.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/senate-democrats-cut-off-permitting-talks-after-trumps-newest-assault-on-wind-00703450