Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse is working with Chair Shelley Moore Capito on a permitting reform hearing this week even though Democrats have paused negotiation on the issue.
Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, put talks on hold before Christmas after the administration continued trying to block development of offshore wind projects. They’ve also expressed concern about approvals for solar generation on public land.
Now, it looks like Democrats will use the hearing to make their case that the administration needs to give up its attacks on renewable energy if they want a new permitting law.
Whitehouse said during a phone interview Thursday that the hearing offers an opportunity for public discussion about “the Trump administration’s continued unfaithfulness in executing the laws.”
