Granholm's permitting warning to Trump and fellow Democrats

Driving the news: Granholm said Trump's actions against renewable energy could prompt Democrats negotiating the legislation to walk away.

• "If they want permitting reform, knock it off," Granholm, who served as energy secretary under President Biden, told Axios in an interview this week.
• But she also urged Democrats to seize the chance to pass the bill. "I think we should pass it. I know it's not perfect," she said.
• "Who's to say we're going to get a better deal?" Granholm said. "We still need a presidential signature in the next two years."

Catch up quick: The bipartisan bill, unveiled Sept. 30, would make it easier to build energy projects and power lines, while helping clear a backlog of projects waiting to connect to the electricity grid.

• Supporters from both parties, including Granholm, want Congress to pass the bill after the midterm elections and before the next Congress takes office. But some Democrats have suggested waiting until next year, depending on the election results.

The big picture: The AI boom is driving a surge in electricity demand, raising the stakes for a permitting deal that could help America build power infrastructure faster.

• Granholm warned that without faster permitting, more technology companies could double down on building their own natural gas power plants rather than connecting to the grid.
• "I am very concerned about those projects actually coming to fruition," Granholm said.

Between the lines: Granholm argues the U.S. urgently needs to build more electricity infrastructure and that clean energy will benefit from faster permitting because it's often cheaper and faster to build.

• She acknowledged the bill could also accelerate fossil fuel development, but said: "If we're on an equal playing field, clean energy wins."

Friction point: Opposition and new demands are mounting ahead of a planned Senate vote next month.

• Four Senate Democrats want Trump to begin restoring billions of dollars in clean energy grants before any vote on the deal, Axios' Ben Geman reported earlier this week.
• Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is hosting a virtual press conference Wednesday with local and Indigenous organizations to "warn the legislation will lock in fossil fuel pollution, accelerate data center expansion, silence community input, and cause generational harm to people and the planet," according to an advisory Tuesday.

Yes, but: Tom Steyer, a billionaire who has championed progressive climate causes, on Tuesday threw his support behind the bill.

Zoom in: Granholm singled out concerns from Native American tribal nations as an area where she wants the legislation improved, though she didn't indicate that it should slow down the legislative process.

• "There is concern clearly among the tribal governments, and I think we should listen to that, and we should make the bill better when we have the opportunity to do so," Granholm said.

What they're saying: The Native American Rights Fund, a nonprofit legal group representing American Tribal Nations, said it opposes the bill.

• It "severely weakens Tribal opportunities to engage as sovereign governments, curtails Tribal consultation requirements, and restricts access to legal recourse in court," the group said in its Oct. 20 statement.
• The bill's sponsors say it preserves tribes' ability to participate in formal consultations.

The other side: The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about Granholm's comments or opposition by Tribal Nations.

• Earlier this week, in response to the separate call by Senate Democrats to restore grant funding, a White House official didn't address the request directly and instead said the bill was ready for a vote.
• The official also said the administration was approving more onshore wind farms that had been delayed by military reviews.

What's next: The Senate has scheduled an initial procedural vote for Nov. 9, less than a week after the midterm elections — leaving little time to resolve the growing disagreements.