A group of House Republicans is trying to bait President Donald Trump into the permitting wars on Capitol Hill, arguing that legislation up for a vote as soon as next week could green-light something he hates with fury: offshore wind power.
Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) wants the House to pass his “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” H.R. 4776, to accelerate projects of all kinds, and gain leverage in expected negotiations with the Senate in the coming months.
But the legislation has provoked hard-line conservatives and others, who claim it could benefit already-incentivized renewable energy and limit an administration’s ability to block projects like offshore wind. Now they are looking to escalate their complaints to the president himself.
“Believe me, nobody hates wind turbines more than me — except the president of the United States,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.). “We all need assurances.”
