NEWS: A new Senate bill could curb federal attacks on renewables—and bring permitting reform back to the table.

The bill: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) have unveiled the “FREEDOM act,” Politico reported. This bill would restrict a president’s power to axe or delay energy project approvals. Specifically, the legislation would bar federal agencies from 1) snatching permits 2) rolling out stop-work orders and 3) freezing construction on most permitted projects.

Sound familiar? President Trump has harnessed these very tactics to hamstring US solar and wind development. 

The stakes: Senate Democrats have said they’ll delay federal permitting reform talks until Trump’s “mischief” comes to an end. Now, the new legislation might finally get things back on track (and make it easier to bring urgently needed new generation online).