Offshore wind foes want to drag Trump into permitting bill spat

A group of House Republicans is trying to bait President Donald Trump into the permitting wars on Capitol Hill, arguing that legislation up for a vote as soon as next week could green-light something he hates with fury: offshore wind power.

Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) wants the House to pass his bill that would accelerate energy projects of all kinds, which would give him leverage in expected negotiations with the Senate in the coming months on overhauling the federal permitting process.

But the legislation has drawn sharp opposition from conservatives who claim it could benefit renewable energy projects already benefitting from tax incentives, plus limit the Trump administration’s ability to block projects like offshore wind.

“Believe me, nobody hates wind turbines more than me — except the president of the United States,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.). "We all need assurances."

He paused, and added: "Assurances sometimes just aren't good enough."

Van Drew and Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) teamed up with House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) in writing a letter to Trump this week that warned the Westerman bill — which passed out of committee with bipartisan support — "undermines your stated policy agenda of rightfully ending offshore wind development and other 'Green New Scam' projects approved under the poor leadership of the Biden Administration, particularly development off the Atlantic Coast."

They are mainly concerned about language added to the bill during the recent Natural Resources markup of the Westerman measure that could limit the administration’s ability to scrap an already-issued permit — a provision members on both sides of the aisle support.

Van Drew said in an interview he had heard that the White House wanted to make sure the legislation would not promote offshore wind, which could make this bipartisan amendment problematic in a final product.

But Westerman and other lawmakers want any permitting overhaul bill to be “technology neutral” after criticizing Democrats for putting policies in place that would benefit renewable energy.

Westerman defended his product Wednesday, saying the White House has been briefed and is “well aware of where we are.”

He added, “I expect the administration to still support the bill. I haven’t gotten any indication the administration isn’t supportive of the bill.”

A White House spokesperson did not return a request for comment.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the House's most conservative voices, has also expressed reservations about the Westerman legislation.

"I don’t want to fast-track any of the wind and solar. It’s still not a neutral playing field because it’s subsidized," said Roy, who pushed — unsuccessfully — for the immediate repeal of renewable energy credits in the GOP megabill enacted over the summer.

Although some Democrats support the bill — including co-sponsor Jared Golden of Maine — others want stronger language to prevent the president from scrapping permits, among other changes.

The League of Conservation Voters is urging lawmakers to vote “no,” arguing that “the biggest problem right now is the fact the Trump administration is not allowing any wind, solar or battery projects to move forward in the permitting process.”

This means opposition from even a handful of Republicans could tank a vote on a procedural rule to take up the bill on the chamber floor, which are typically party-line affairs.

Westerman said earlier this week that he was looking to meet with bill critics. Indeed, he was seen chatting with Smith on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.

“Hopefully we’ll work through it and get to a point where we can get the bill on the floor and get a good vote on it,” Westerman said.

Reporters Josh Siegel and Nico Portuondo contributed to this report.