By Kennedy Maize
As the U.S. Senate moves toward a final vote on groundbreaking energy project permitting legislation, Donald Trump continues to tilt at windmills. The windmills continue to win. 
The Senate Monday (Nov. 11) took a small bipartisan step toward passing a comprehensive bill that would streamline federal permitting of energy and infrastructure projects, the 494-page Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (known as the BAAJA in Washington’s compulsion to have an anacronym for every action).
The vote was 72-26 — (51 Republicans, 20 Democrats, and Independents Angus King of Maine in favor to 24 Democrats, South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds, and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders opposed). While mainstream environmental groups such as the Sierra Club opposed the measure, many Democrats with firm environmental credentials – Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, for example — supported allowing it to come to a later up-or-down vote.
As The Hill described it, the bill “seeks to make it easier to build — at the expense of some of the nation’s environmental laws. It will make it harder for opponents to sue to block projects on environmental grounds and also hamper the ability of states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to preemptively block them, which has historically held up ventures such as fossil fuels and mining.”
As the Senate considered the legislation, President Trump, who would normally be delighted with streamlining energy projects, has been threatening to gum up the legislative works. He wants the legislation to forbid wind power in the U.S., which won’t happen. 
When reporters at the White House asked Trump if he was OK that the bill would apply to wind power projects, he said, “No, I will not approve wind turbines,” adding, “The bill hasn’t been fully negotiated. I will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.”
Democrats who support moving the legislation have made it clear their continued support depends on including wind power in the measure.
Despite Trump’s bombast and bluster, his administration has been taking action on wind projects to keep the legislation on the Congressional rails to passage. As Politico noted, “Earlier in the day, the administration approved 10 additional onshore wind projects ahead of the vote, including those in Texas, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas and Washington.”
As the Senate debated the permitting legislation, two more of the five major offshore wind projects that Trump has tried and failed to kill since he took office in January 2025 went into full commercial operation. In January, Trump ordered the billion dollar wind projects to stop work. Multiple federal courts later overtured the orders.
On October 29, the $4 billion, 800-MW Vinyard Wind 1 project became fully operational some 15 miles off of Martha’s Vinyard. The 62 wind turbines had been generating power for months before, but the October date marked the final commissioning.
On November 5, the 700-MW, $6 billion Revolution Wind project, also off Martha’s Vinyard, became fully operational, sending power to Rhode Island and Connecticut. Utility buyers of the power include Eversource and United Illuminating.
Still under construction and scheduled for commissioning in 2027 are the 924-MW Sunshine Wind project off the New York coast; 2-GW Empire Wind, also off New York; and 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind.
The Senate vote was the beginning of the end game for the permitting legislation. It was merely a vote to advance the bill to a full Senate vote, where a real fight is likely. As Axios reported, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he has “outstanding concerns” with the bill that he’ll fight to address through amendments. Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski both say they will oppose the bill unless it drops changes to the National Historic Preservation Act, citing tribal concerns.
Then there is the House of Representatives, which last December passed the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” which largely makes changes to the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act. It is far different and less comprehensive than the Senate’s BAAJA.
For the Senate bill to become law before the 119th Congress expires at the end of December, the House must roll over, passing the Senate bill as is. Current House minority leader and incoming Speaker Hakim Jeffries has made clear he’s not prepared to do that.
Most likely, permitting legislation will become a priority early next year in the 120th Congress, with Democrats in complete control of the House and Senate. That’s the prediction of the Wood Mackenzie energy consulting firm. It would be a far different bill with the Democrats in control. Would lame duck Trump veto it and face a veto override?
The Quad Report, covering energy policy and politics