Lame-duck Congress might actually do something: speed up energy projects

A massive permitting bill that could help energy projects come online much quicker and potentially lower utility bills for Americans is advancing with bipartisan support. And while it could be a catalyst for lots of clean energy, it could also speed up polluting projects and limit oversight of new data centers. With data centers demanding more electricity for AI, environmental advocates fear that developers could take advantage of the reforms to evade public scrutiny and rely more heavily on fossil fuels.

The bill sacrifices caution for speed, limiting environmental reviews and preventing communities from stopping a project from moving forward by taking it to court. “Whether it is permits to bulldoze wetlands, the fast-tracking of gas pipelines or general environmental review, with this legislation, data centers would not need to answer to the concerns of local communities,” Christy Goldfuss, executive director of the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), says in an email