Bipartisan American Affordability & Jobs Act gets 73-25 vote in Senate

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 73–25 to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) – a sweeping energy permitting reform package that is now going to the floor for debate. The legislation aims to shorten federal review timelines for clean-energy and fossil-fuel projects – something President Trump touted on social media as a “Big win for U.S. energy independence and dominance…ensuring that we can build pipelines, mines, and power plants faster than ever before, lowering energy costs for American families.”

Some major utility and industry trade groups support the legislation’s requirement that data centers cover grid upgrades and power generation costs, however, more contentious is the issue of shortening public review and federal assessments of  fossil fuel and gas pipeline expansions (such as those that fall under NEPA).

At a time when nearly 200 countries’ delegations are in Turkey for the COP31 summit, BAAJA emerges as America’s domestic, market-driven answer to the infrastructure and energy-security issues being discussed by United Nations members.

Supporters of BAAJA celebrate that it would expedite green-energy projects, while critics fear it would complicate global emissions goals. Since the bill requires 60 votes to clear a filibuster in the Senate, its path forward could be complicated – requiring a bipartisan coalition rather than a unilateral push by one party. Though the bill has cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Senate, its passage depends on what takes place in terms of amendments and what happens in the House of Representatives, where opposition might be fierce. RCRTech will keep an eye on this story as it takes shape.