SPEED Act update: House Republicans have saved their flagship permitting bill from a conservative revolt. (E&E News)
For context: A group of offshore wind critics led by Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris blocked the bill on the floor for 30 minutes. Their gripe? Its protections against revoking permits (intended to save pipelines from future Democrat leadership) would inadvertently protect wind farms from the current administration.
To get the bill moving, leadership agreed to a "poison pill" amendment: exemptions for any agency decisions made since January 20. This retroactively empowers the Trump White House to reopen and rescind permits for projects in New York and Rhode Island that it has already targeted.
While this appeased the rebels, insiders note the language has "zero chance" of surviving the Senate, where champions of the "Blue Economy" will likely strip it out immediately.