President Donald Trump’s pick for the No. 2 slot at the Department of Energy made it through a Wednesday confirmation hearing mostly unmarked, but his thoughts on transmission and climate spending could spell future clashes with Democrats.
James Danly, the nominee for deputy Energy secretary, may have warmed bipartisan hearts in saying that federal permitting reform was one of his top priorities. Democrats, however, were probably not thrilled to hear him say steps to bolster the nation’s transmission infrastructure may not be a pressing issue.
“The real problems with federal permitting haven’t been seen in transmission, mainly because most siting and permitting happens at the state level,” Danly, a former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair, told lawmakers at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.
That perspective doesn’t track with how Democrats have viewed the permitting issue. They believe a lack of big electric power lines have hampered renewable generation across the country, namely due to burdensome environmental regulations.
