{"id":2687440,"date":"2026-10-18T21:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T01:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-officials-refuse-to-wait-on-congress-to-juice-up-american-power-fast-track-pipelines-and-power-lines\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:23:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T01:23:59","slug":"trump-officials-refuse-to-wait-on-congress-to-juice-up-american-power-fast-track-pipelines-and-power-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-officials-refuse-to-wait-on-congress-to-juice-up-american-power-fast-track-pipelines-and-power-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Officials Refuse to Wait on Congress to Juice Up American Power, Fast-Track Pipelines And Power Lines"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-officials-refuse-to-wait-on-congress-to-juice-up-american-power-fast-track-pipelines-and-power-lines%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2687440&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON<b><strong class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__textBold\"> \u2014<\/strong><\/b> Trump administration officials laid out plans Tuesday to speed up permits for pipelines and power lines while a Senate permitting deal waits for a vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Senate negotiators reached a bipartisan deal last month to limit lawsuits against energy projects, but a floor vote is not expected until the lame-duck session after the midterm elections, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/senate-reaches-bipartisan-deal-on-permitting-bill-to-speed-approvals-of-new-energy-projects\">according<\/a> to PBS News. Officials from the Army, the EPA and the Interior Department described the permit changes their agencies are already making on a panel at the Association of the U.S. Army\u2019s (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cA lot of it is transmitting that energy across our country, whether it\u2019s power lines, whether it\u2019s pipelines, and I think that is now the greatest opportunity, and unfortunately, happens to be one of the areas of greatest \u2026 litigation in the country,\u201d Interior Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor said on the panel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The permitting system so often ends in litigation that companies cannot assure holders when a project will be delivered, MacGregor said, adding that \u201cwe need aggressive action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cWhat you need is the strength and durability of these decisions to last beyond just one administration,\u201d she said of the discussion over judicial review of permits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Lee Forsgren, the senior official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, said the Army Corps of Engineers is about to send the White House Office of Management and Budget a rulemaking with proposals to \u201csignificantly expand\u201d the use of its nationwide permits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">A total of six officials spoke at a panel titled \u201cDelivering for the Nation: Infrastructure, Economic Security, and Crisis Response.\u201d Stuart Levenbach, an associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget, moderated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Forsgren said the Corps will look at \u201cways to increase the viability of energy projects, pipelines, transmission lines for electricity,\u201d which he said \u201cright now, can be done under nationwide [permits], but there are significant limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cRight now, the individual permit can easily take at least a year, frequently two,\u201d Forsgren said. \u201cNothing is being approved during that permitting time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The Corps handles about 100,000 activities a year, and more than half go through nationwide permits, which cover projects with small environmental effects, Forsgren said. He said the Corps could raise the half-acre limit on those permits to as much as two acres. The Corps <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/environmentalhealthsafetybrief.sidley.com\/2026\/01\/09\/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-finalizes-2026-nationwide-permit-reissuance-and-modifications\/\">reissued<\/a> 56 nationwide permits and added one new one in January.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Forsgren said he wants Corps permits completed in about 45 days, the time Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said it took to permit a Louisiana fertilizer plant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThose companies who developed that facility were told that permitting would take years. The Army Corps got it done in 45 days,\u201d Vaden said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to make a real difference for our farmers and give us more agricultural and therefore national security because we will not be dependent on foreign sources for the fertilizer our farmers need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The Blue Point plant in Modeste, Louisiana, a joint venture of CF Industries, JERA and Mitsui, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hydrocarbonengineering.com\/the-environment\/27082026\/cf-industries-breaks-ground-on-blue-ammonia-plant\/\">broke<\/a> ground in August and is expected to produce 1.4 million metric tons of ammonia a year starting in 2029.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said the agency is handing more permitting programs to states that can meet federal requirements because \u201cin many instances, states can administer those permitting programs more quickly and more efficiently than the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to having a final, durable new definition of the waters of the U.S. here in the coming months,\u201d Fotouhi said of the rule that sets which streams and wetlands fall under the Clean Water Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The EPA and the Army <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-and-army-seek-additional-input-proposed-waters-us-definition-while-advancing\">sought<\/a> comment on additional options in September, and that comment period closed Oct. 9. It will be the fourth definition in a decade, Fotouhi said, and Forsgren said the agencies hope it will be the last.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Fotouhi said repealing the 2009 endangerment finding and greenhouse gas requirements for vehicles carries projected savings of $1.2 trillion, and repealing most Biden-era greenhouse gas limits on power plants, which the EPA <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/node\/301169\">finalized<\/a> Sept. 14, carries $310 billion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The EPA has cut about 5,000 employees, leaving roughly 12,500, while reducing backlogs, Fotouhi said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Lt. Gen. William \u201cButch\u201d Graham, the chief of engineers, said the Corps\u2019 first job after Hurricane Isaias was resurveying Gulf Coast ports with the Coast Guard to make sure the storm had not pushed sand and mud into shipping channels, \u201cso that the energy could continue to flow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe number one thing we get from shippers and producers is the system has to be reliable,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Ahead of landfall, Isaias threatened just under 500,000 barrels a day of refining capacity in Alabama and Mississippi, including Chevron\u2019s Pascagoula refinery, and prompted the Coast Guard to tighten port conditions at Mobile, Alabama, S&#038;P Global <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spglobal.com\/energy\/en\/news-research\/latest-news\/crude-oil\/100826-most-usgc-refineries-set-to-avoid-direct-hit-from-hurricane-exports-affected\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">MacGregor also said putting the Endangered Species Act\u2019s consultation and permit sections into practice \u201chas been tough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cSo we need to fix that, and that\u2019s something that we\u2019re heavily looking at,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The Senate deal could give opponents 150 days instead of six years to sue under two federal review laws, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported, and would require data centers to pay for the grid upgrades they need, according to PBS. Democrats have tied their support to the administration letting previously approved wind projects proceed, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has said he is confident the bill will pass in the lame-duck session, PBS reported.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Senate negotiators reached a bipartisan deal last month to limit lawsuits against energy projects, but a floor vote is not expected until the lame-duck session after the midterm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2687441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_4251.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2687440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_4251.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2687440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2687441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2687440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2687440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2687440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}