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US Senate to take up energy permitting bill votes next week, Whitehouse says

Reuters

Nov 11 (Reuters) - The US Senate ‌is not expected to hold additional votes on the Bipartisan American Affordability ​and Jobs ‌Act, a sweeping permitting reform bill, until next week, ‌when lawmakers will take up amendments and a vote on final passage, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse ‌said on Wednesday.

• Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, who is one of the bill's four authors, is in Turkey attending the COP 31 United Nations ⁠climate change conference

• He told reporters by phone ‌that he would return ⁠by Monday for the next permitting reform vote

• Some ​senators are submitting proposed amendments to the bill this week. A group of Democrats, led ​by California's Adam Schiff, is seeking to ​strike ‌provisions related to the National Historic Preservation Act from ​the bill, arguing they would weaken protections ⁠for tribal resources

• Senator Josh Hawley, ‌a Republican ​from Missouri, introduced amendments aimed ​at protecting farmers and other landowners from having their land taken through eminent domain for transmission lines

• Whitehouse said the 75-23 Senate vote to advance ‌the legislation earlier this week had improved its prospects in the House of Representatives

• He said ‌members of ​the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus had assured senators that the House will hold a vote on the measure and were optimistic about its chances of passing

(Reporting ‌by Nichola Groom; editing by David Gaffen)

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