Trump's point man on energy calls offshore wind disruption a unique case

"1. Offshore wind pullbacks are a "one-off exception." Those Atlantic Coast projects already permitted or under construction that Trump's team is freezing? "There's very active dialogue among the administration, among parties outside the administration, about the right answer there." "But I think that'll be a one-off exception, or one-off complication, [on] what to do with with offshore wind," Wright said. That said, while offshore wind is most directly in Trump's crosshairs, the reversal of renewables support has hit other projects, too. Overall,building infrastructure is "going to be massively easier than it has been in a long time," Wright said. His portrait of offshore wind as an isolated matter arrives amid business world concern that halting construction or reversing approvals sends a bad signal."

"2. "Raise your hand in the air" on hosting nuclear waste. DOE is crafting a process furthering the Biden approach that seeks communities interested in accepting waste facilities - and receiving incentives, Wright said. "Our suspicion is, several communities around the country will say, 'Absolutely we want that - for the economic benefits, for the jobs, and for the activity,' and they'll get comfortable with the safety of it." How to handle waste long-term has bedeviled policymakers for decades, and it's only getting more important as the White House pushes new reactor projects. 3. "The biggest remaining thing? Permitting reform." It's the best way Congress could help the "energy dominance" agenda now that the GOP budget plan is law, he said. "We're building big infrastructure, but that's still much slower and clumsier than it should be," Wright said, adding he's been talking with Republ"

Offshore wind pullbacks are being treated as a one-off complication, with active dialogue about how to handle already-permitted Atlantic Coast projects. Reversal of renewables support has affected other projects and generated business concern about policy signals. Building infrastructure is expected to become massively easier than in recent years. The Department of Energy is designing a voluntary process to solicit communities willing to host nuclear waste facilities in exchange for incentives, anticipating some communities will accept for economic and job benefits once safety is assured. Long-term waste management remains a persistent policy challenge as new reactor projects expand. Permitting reform is the largest remaining barrier to faster infrastructure under an energy-dominance agenda.

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