Defense Permitting Amendment Seeks to Unclog Wind Energy Logjam

Lawmakers are seeking piecemeal fixes to the federal permitting process as a bipartisan comprehensive overhaul remains elusive because of the Trump administration’s moves on wind energy projects.

The latest example involves bipartisan support for an amendment added last week to the Senate’s fiscal 2027 annual national defense authorization bill (S. 4784). The language adopted during the Senate Armed Services Committee’s closed markup that wrapped up June 10 would require the Pentagon to render final decisions on energy projects within 180 days to avoid de facto delays on applications the administration isn’t fond of, including wind farms.

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