Senate advances permitting overhaul as solar sector presses for passage

· Climate · United States

The US Senate voted Monday to advance bipartisan legislation to speed permitting of large energy projects, though Inside Climate News reported that roadblocks loom amid acrimony over whether the bill's clean-energy support will be outweighed by fossil-fuel expansion. The bill, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S. 5653), has drawn a push from more than 300 solar and storage companies urging Congress to pass it, warning that outdated federal permitting and grid bottlenecks are delaying projects and raising electricity costs. CleanTechnica also carried criticism that the bill remains "fundamentally flawed" despite a manager's amendment released Saturday, with critics calling for an open amendment process before a lame-duck vote.

Why it matters：Permitting speed is now the binding constraint on deploying renewables and grid projects in the US, so how this bill is amended will shape project pipelines for years.

Key points

  • The Senate voted Monday to advance the permitting bill.
  • More than 300 solar and storage companies back S. 5653.
  • Critics say the bill stays flawed despite a manager's amendment.

Sources (original reporting)

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