Democrats Reached a Deal with Republicans to Lower Energy Costs. Rashida Tlaib Is Trying to Kill It

“Our family members can’t afford higher [energy] rates,” Representative Rashida Tlaib said from the House floor in March. Ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, Democrats have echoed that message, blaming the Trump administration for rising energy costs. However, amid the political finger-pointing, a bipartisan proposal that promises to lower energy costs emerged from the Senate at the end of September.

The American Affordability and Jobs Act promises to streamline energy development, assuming that a higher supply will drive down costs. If passed, this new bill would overhaul federal environmental permitting, with the goal of speeding up energy project and infrastructure development. It was introduced to the Senate on September 30, co-sponsored by two Republicans — Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Mike Lee — and two Democrats — Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich.

Though the text has not been released to the public, sponsors say the bill reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. These aspects of permitting contribute to long energy development timelines and the U.S. being ranked second to last globally in terms of in terms of how long mines take to go from discovery to production.

On Tuesday, researchers at Columbia University found that the American Affordability and Jobs Act would likely reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the status quo, Senator Lee told National Review. However, in a Zoom press conference on Wednesday morning, Representative Rashida Tlaib urged listeners to oppose the bill.

“We know the bill is 417 pages of empty promises,” Tlaib said. She then referenced the complexities of federal permitting. “The thing is, we can’t get too technical with our residents,” when talking about permitting, she said. “I still literally struggled in understanding these permitting processes.” Tlaib referenced a conversation she’d had with one resident who told her, “Rashida, just called it ‘Permission to Pollute Process,’ because that’s what it feels like.”

Lee described this nickname as “fundamentally unserious,” to NR. He said the bill’s text was negotiated “in part by none other than Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich, two of the Senate’s most outspoken climate advocates.”

Meanwhile, Tlaib criticized the four senators for allegedly taking input from the energy industry. “This is corporate money in politics, corrupting our democracy,” she said.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, the executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center, joined her in this criticism. He said he opposes the bill since it takes power from future political leaders and gives it to the markets. Such a move would make it difficult for future presidents to impose green, low-carbon requirements for energy developers in the U.S., he said. Schlenker-Goodrich added that permitting reform shouldn’t come from those in manufacturing industries but should come from law professors and “academics.”

Beyond making it harder for presidents to impose environmental mandates on the private industry, Schlenker-Goodrich said he opposes the bill because it would make environmental litigation more difficult.

Lee agreed that clamping down on environmental litigation is a key aspect the bill. “Yes, the bill makes it harder to use endless litigation to prevent lawful projects from being built. That’s the point,” he said. “Americans should have the right to challenge unlawful government actions, but environmental lawsuits shouldn’t amount to a permanent veto over projects that have already undergone federal review.”

As Tlaib wrapped up her thoughts, she looked forward to the upcoming midterm elections, which will likely result in a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives.

“When Democrats get the gavel, I hope you understand that doesn’t mean we’re safer,” she said. “I’m sad to say that we’re going to have to make sure that as they are trying to repeal all the bad things that Trump has done, that they also include this.” Tlaib said she had to jump off the Zoom conference early to go “beat up on ICE,” but offered one final piece of advice for listeners: “Please don’t settle for crumbs.”