The Senate is rushing to pass a another dirty deal on so-called “permitting reform” that guts environmental protections and silences community voices to benefit fossil fueled fascists and their big tech enablers — as well as a couple of big power lines that will help get big solar and wind farmed energy to market.
This dirty deal was negotiated in secret, and is being rushed to the Senate floor because the more people look at it, the worst this deal gets. Huge giveaways to the fossil fuel industry that let THEM sue US if they don’t get their pipelines or projects built; An explosion in new AI data centers that the vast majority of Americans dont want, with even more of them powered by dirty fracked gas; An end to indigenous sovereignty and protections for sacred spaces, historic sites, and vulnerable communities. This bill will literally re-write who gets to breathe and who gets asthma; Who’s water is polluted, and who’s is safe and clean; Which communities are sacrificed and which are protected.
Fortunately, opposition has been rising, with a growing list of organizations and elected officials speaking out and pushing back. But by scheduling the vote for the Lame duck session after the election, Senators are trying to rught the bill through before we have a chance ot fight. Click here to Tell Congress: We deserve better than a dirty deal negotiated in secret.
The so-called “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act” (BAAJA) of 2026 is a back-door deal that represents a massive power grab by Big Tech and the fossil fuel industry. If it becomes law, this bill would gut key aspects of foundational environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Endangered Species Act. In doing so, it would all but ensure data centers and fossil fuel projects will be approved regardless of community opposition. It would pollute families’ air and water with chemicals that increase their risk of asthma, cancer, and premature deaths, worsen the climate crisis, and put threatened species at risk of vanishing forever.
We’ve been fighting similar dirty deals since the first Trump Administration and all through when Joe Manchin ran the US Senate – and we’ve beaten them back again and again. But this one is especially shitty. Not only does it lock in fossil fuel and data center projects, making them impossible for communities to reject or even fight back against; not only does it supercharge rubber stamp agencies like FERC; But this time the betrayal is coming from inside our own climate community as several prominent climate advocates like Sen Whitehouse and Sen Heinrich champion the bill by teaming up with the literal worst people in Congress and some big climate groups that we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with in the past engage in cowardly climate silence.
The Senate seems to be counting on speed and secrecy to get this bill passed. That’s why they’ve scheduled the vote for the first day they’re back in session after the election. By rushing the process and restricting amendments, they hope to pass a dirty deal in the lame duck that prevents us from stopping or even objecting to thier pipelines, export terminals and data centers for years to come. But the Lame Duck should not be a death sentence for our climate or communities.
Our best defense against that is to educate ourselves and speak out against this terrible bill. Tell your members of Congress to stand up for your community, air, water, and climate, and stop this dirty deal.
PS – want to make your own social media post or spread the word? Use this toolkit.