GOP Bills Add To Hill Permitting Debate Featuring Deep Partisan Divides

Republican lawmakers are ramping up activity on several bills to ease permitting requirements for energy and other projects, with environmentalists and Democrats heavily criticizing the legislation even as lawmakers from both parties say they are amenable to the concept of permitting “reform.” Some experts say the GOP bills are a launching off point that could eventually lead to more bipartisan proposals. Others say the fraught politics could require a less-traditional route dependent on an up-or-down vote rather than the usual...