Senate set to vote on a bipartisan bill to speed energy permitting

A 417-page permitting bill goes to the Senate on November 9, with early analyses split on whether it cuts emissions or raises them.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on November 9, 2026 on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, known as BAAJA. The vote falls just after the midterm elections and before the next Congress takes over. The bill runs 417 pages and is meant to speed up federal permitting of energy projects. It narrows which projects need federal permits and sets deadlines for the permitting process. It also includes provisions on transmission planning and mining. It is largely technology neutral, so fossil-fuel and renewable projects can both use it. Two Republicans and two Democrats sponsor it, and the White House backs it.

Supporters point to speed and scale. The White House Council of Economic Advisors found the bill would shorten review times and boost GDP. The American Clean Power Association estimates it could unlock 350 GW of new clean energy for the grid. The Natural Resources Defense Council sees substantial grid benefits in the transmission provisions. It also warns that narrowed environmental reviews could harm public and private lands.

This matters for abundance because permitting is a brake on building grids, pipelines and generation. Shorter, more predictable timelines lower the cost and time of adding energy supply. Cheaper, faster transmission is one of the clearest ways to get more power to more people. The rules for who can object to projects and how are also a question for the commons.

The emissions picture is unsettled. Rhodium Group's best case has economy-wide emissions down 4%, household bills down $78 a year and 200 GW of new clean energy by 2040. Its worst case leaves emissions about flat. Resources for the Future found power-sector emissions could fall 6% by 2041 and system costs could drop by over $350 billion by midcentury. Purdue's Kevin Kircher modeled the bill as if it had applied in 2025 and found higher emissions and air-pollution health risks than the actual baseline. The article calls these early analyses. Some worry the bill mainly opens the way for new natural-gas plants, but that is a worry, not an established result.

The bill was expected to pass the Senate with mostly Republican votes plus a few Democrats. Democrats might instead wait until next year, when they control both chambers. It is unclear how their midterm wins affect the bill's prospects. Any deal would still need Trump's signature.

Source: MIT Tech Review