Trump's offshore wind move could make permitting deal even tougher

• But the politics were already daunting despite House passage of major legislation.

Catch up fast: The Interior Department on Monday halted the five Atlantic coast offshore wind projects under construction.

• Officials claimed Pentagon analysis showed risk of radar interference from the projects.
• Two top Senate Democrats called permitting talks dead unless Trump officials reverse field.

Threat level: TD Cowen analysts said the construction halt would fuel Dems' push for "ironclad" bill language that prevents retroactively scuttling permits.

• "[B]ut expect the President and his congressional allies to resist. Net-net, we now have a new roadblock to legislative reform," its note states.

The intrigue: ClearView Energy Partners said the glass-half-full case would be that pausing the projects "could serve as collateral for Republicans negotiating a Senate bargain."

Yes, but: "A gloomier observer might see cancellations premised on 'inherent' risk to national security ... as an indication the Administration does not view codification of a narrower approach to permitting as a priority and may not be interested in facilitating a deal," ClearView's note adds.

What they're saying: Former senior Senate GOP aide Alex Flint said a permitting deal could still happen "because majorities in both bodies and across the energy sector want permitting certainty."

• "But [Interior's move] will increase the rhetoric from the Trump acolytes who will oppose limits on executive authority, and increase the risk of President Trump vetoing the legislation," adds Flint, executive director of the Alliance for Market Solutions.

What we're watching: Likely court battles.

• And Interior left the door open to letting the projects resume, citing the "possibility of mitigating" the alleged risks.

Chuck McCutcheon contributed.

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