Analysis by Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley
There are some significant policy priorities for the association that will likely see some movement in the coming days and weeks. First, at the time of writing this column, the House is scheduled to take up a vote on the SPEED Act this week. There was some last-minute opposition by some members of the Freedom Caucus to language included in the bill that could take away a President’s authority to revoke existing energy project permits at his/her discretion. A group of six Republican Freedom Caucus members initially voted against the rule, given these concerns. This provision has become very contentious due to President Trump’s decision to revoke certain offshore wind permits in the past year. The solution that seems the most palatable now is that leadership will allow for a few amendments, with one likely striking out language in the underlying bill limiting the President’s authority. While it is uncertain what the prospects for this amendment are at the time of writing, it is expected that this amendment will fail on the floor. If it does, we can expect the underlying bill to pass and move to the Senate for consideration.
What happens next is where things really get interesting. The Senate may pass their own legislation or choose to take up the SPEED Act as is. Most likely, given the importance of this issue, we can expect that the Senate will want to produce their own product. Also, there is not yet sufficient bipartisan support to go over the sixty-vote threshold. So, even if we do see passage out of the House, this will just be the first step in a much larger process. However, a strong bipartisan vote in the House will send a very strong signal to the Senate that there is support for action. Ideally, this action will happen early next year, as the closer we get to midterms, the more complicated the politics of working on any sort of compromise will be.
EWTC Tariff Task Force Continues Important Work on Tariffs
Tariffs on critical energy components used in manufacturing and energy production continue to be a significant challenge for our sector. The tariff task force has been hosting a series of meetings with members of the House, Senate and administration to discuss the impacts and potential tweaks to limit impacts on the sector. There appears to be some openness to potential tweaks, especially in regard to 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products that are critical to energy production. For those companies actively following the tariff issue, in order to receive continued updates, please ensure that you have at least one active attendee from your company on the task force. It is possible that we will need additional information from our companies in the coming days and weeks. If you would like to add an individual to the task force, please send an email to Jeff Emerick, Director of Government Affairs.
Tim Tarpley, Energy Workforce President, analyzes federal policy for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
