House Republicans’ permitting efforts, as detailed in their H.R.1 package, focused on speeding up environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.
On the other hand, the new draft from Democrats Sean Casten(Ill.) and Mike Levin (Calif.) focused largely on electricity infrastructure, renewable energy and including local communities in the process.
Specifically, their legislation aims to:
Give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission greater authority to approve transmission lines
Bolster transmission between different regions of the country
Create community solar programs
Require the designation of “priority” areas for solar, wind and geothermal energy on public lands
Declare that greenhouse gas emissions should factor into the wholesale costs of fossil-powered electricity
Mandate steps to reach out to communities during the permitting process
While the Democrats are not expected to get everything they want — just like Republicans are unlikely to have their entire energy package ultimately become law — this does give indications about the party’s priorities during negotiations.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
The League of Conservation Voters and Climate Power said Thursday it would run attack ads against five Republicans who voted to repeal tax credits for renewable energy as part of the GOP debt limit bill.
Leaders from venture capital firms are launching an alliance to support climate-friendly startups and encourage net-zero emissions in businesses across many industries.
Federal funds aimed at helping agriculture address the effects of climate change must not be raided to fund agriculture as a whole, said Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.).
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) passed a first-in-the-nation rule on Thursday aimed at reducing the emissions diesel-fueled locomotive engines generate. “Locomotives are a key part of California’s …
A new study analyzing Zillow data has found that the monthly median sale price of a house last year was more than $500,000 in Utah, California and Colorado — and more than a staggering $800,000 in Hawaii. Read more