Key facts
- The Senate voted 73-25 on November 9, 2026, to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.
- The bill aims to speed up construction of energy and other infrastructure projects by limiting environmental legal challenges.
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said the legislation is expected to save consumers about $60 to $80 each month.
- Whitehouse said the bill will prevent between 1.5 and 1.8 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Senate voted 73-25 on November 9, 2026, to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to speed up construction of energy and other infrastructure projects, The Hill reported. The vote clears a procedural hurdle toward the measure becoming law, with likely Senate passage expected in the weeks ahead, according to the report.
The bill seeks to make it easier to build projects at the expense of some of the nation's environmental laws. It would make it harder for opponents to sue to block projects on environmental grounds and would hamper the ability of states and the Environmental Protection Agency to preemptively block them, which has historically held up ventures such as fossil fuels and mining, the report said.
Democrats argued the legislation will be good for both the climate and consumers' wallets. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) told reporters ahead of the vote that the legislation is expected to save consumers about $60 to $80 each month. He also said it will prevent between 1.5 and 1.8 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions. Whitehouse said it will increase the nation's wind capacity by 25 percent, solar capacity by 28 percent and battery storage capacity by 70 percent.