Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., says permitting reform is back on the agenda.
“We do have a deal. We have a bipartisan deal that I’ve worked on,” Capito said today on MetroNews Talkline. “We are committed to a deal. We will probably commit to a vote after we come back after the election.”
This is the Senate’s last week in session until after the general election on Nov. 3.
Last week, the Senate looked like it might face a significant delay in getting to a bipartisan permitting reform policy that has been a priority for Capito.
The energy permitting reform legislation under consideration by the Senate aims to accelerate the deployment of both traditional and clean energy infrastructure by slashing regulatory delays.
Senate Democrats last week expressed reservations and resisted pushing ahead with a final permitting reform deal mostly because of continued distrust over the Trump administration’s commitment to approving renewable energy projects.
National news outlets are now reporting that Senate negotiators have now reached an agreement on the framework of the policy, although they’re still working on details of the wording.
Capito, chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, told the national outlet Politico that “the goal” is to release details of the agreement before the end of the week.
On Talkline, Capito said, “I think it will be good for everybody. There’s going to be some people, I’m sure, that will nitpick at it. But we need to build. We have $2 trillion worth of investment sitting on the sidelines, whether it’s communications towers, highways, energy projects, pipelines, windmills-you name it.
“Takes too long to build, and it’s too too expensive, and we’re costing jobs and prosperity. So I’m going to be the solution here, and I’m feeling good about it today.”