When 'permitting reform' isn't really about permitting reform
- The 'bipartisan' bill expands FERC's power to override state authority on transmission siting and cost allocation—guaranteeing ratepayers foot the bill while states, utilities, and citizens fight it out in court.
- GOP gets a pittance: a Clean Water Act tweak on stream crossings—while ESA, NEPA, and Clean Air Act remain untouched, proving 'reform' is just the wrapping paper for bureaucratic expansion.
- The bill would thaw permits for roughly 200 onshore and 30 offshore wind projects—including Revolution Wind—undermining the administration's own wind-reduction efforts, despite Trump's public silence on the matter.
- Revolution Wind's federal approval faces its third review, a not-so-subtle signal that Senator Whitehouse's 'good faith' demands are being met with a metaphorical legal middle finger.
Brief Summary
They call it 'permitting reform,' but this bill is a wolf in sheep's clothing—an expansion of FERC's authority to override states on transmission lines, with ratepayers left holding the bag once again. It's the same Washington trick: slap a noble label on a power grab, then tell us it's for the common good. Meanwhile, the only actual 'reform' Republicans get is a laughably minor Clean Water Act tweak, while the heavy hitters—ESA, NEPA, Clean Air Act—emerge unscathed. But here's the kicker: the bill quietly revives hundreds of frozen wind projects, making it a Trojan horse for the very green energy the administration has been strangling. And the president? Crickets. All while Revolution Wind gets its third 'review'—a bureaucratic ritual dance that screams the fix is in.
Why This Matters
This isn't just D.C. theater; it's your electric bill, property rights, and the grid's future on the chopping block. If FERC gets the green light to override state decisions on transmission, you'll be forced to pay for lines you may not want, running where the feds say—while states duke it out in court for years. The supposed 'speed' this adds is a myth; more lawyers and bureaucrats never made anything faster, just more expensive.