Congress might pass a meaningful piece of legislation, which is a quaint throwback; I feel like I’m watching a historical reenactor weave a basket out of cedar bark.
A bill to streamline federal permitting — which should have been called the Legislation Accelerating Wind and Yielding Expedited Reviews, Helping Eliminate Lengthy Litigation Act, aka the LAWYER HELL Act — passed an important procedural vote in the Senate. Nearly all Republicans voted in favor, and about half of Democrats did. No one a decade from now will think “My electricity is ten percent less expensive and 20 percent less carbon-intensive because of that bill from 2026,” but they should if the bill passes.
The law is uniformly opposed by environmental groups. On one hand, this isn’t surprising: Several groups declared a fatwa against the bill the second a compromise was announced. On the other hand, it’s odd for The Groups to oppose a measure that many see as essential to a fast transition to green energy. After all: Aren’t these the same groups telling us that we’re facing a climate emergency? How is the message “This is a crisis! But not such a crisis that we need to curb our paperwork fetish, especially if a marginally better deal might be possible in 2029”?
Strange contradictions are contained in environmental groups’ statements opposing this bill. This excerpt is from Sierra Club Executive Director Loren Blackford:
