The 24 Democrats and one Republican who voted against advancing the Senate permitting bill

Twenty-five senators voted Tuesday evening against advancing a bipartisan bill that would make it easier and faster to build pipelines, power lines, power plants, and highways.If passed, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would be arguably the most substantial bill signed by President Donald Trump in his second term in office. It would overhaul the process for federal agency approvals of new energy and infrastructure projects.The Senate voted in favor 73-25 of invoking cloture on the bill Monday evening, limiting debate and sending the package to a final vote next week. While 60 votes are necessary to pass the legislation, proponents of the bill estimated that roughly 70 to 75 were needed to instill confidence in House leadership that the bill would pass in the lower chamber. The Senate surpassed that goal, with 22 Democrats voting in favor, though not all members have committed to backing the bill in the final vote.Republican members of the Senate were not expected to vote against advancing the bill on Monday, as Trump offered up his endorsement for the package Sunday evening. But Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) voted against the package. The Washington Examiner asked his office for a comment to explain his ‘no’ vote.In the hours before the vote, several Democrats said they could not support the legislation in its current form, including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).While she said the bill would lower energy costs, hold data centers accountable, and included language she drafted to prop up clean energy and critical mineral industries, she could not support it due to provisions changing the National Historic Preservation Act.“But I cannot ignore the concerns that Tribes in Nevada have with this bill text,” she said. “The changes to the National Historic Preservation Act were made without their input, and these changes violate the federal government’s responsibility to engage in government-to-government Tribal consultation.”However, Cortez Masto did vote in favor of advancing the bill Monday evening.Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who is expected to chair the Environment and Public Works Committee, a crucial panel for permitting reform negotiations, said he would oppose the bill before the vote.“I strongly support the portions of this bill that seek these outcomes and praise the work of my colleagues — Senators Whitehouse and Heinrich — who have strived to accomplish these objectives,” he said. “But at the demand of the fossil fuel titans, this bill also accelerates the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Very simply: getting more renewable electrons where they are needed doesn’t tackle climate change if you simultaneously promote the burning of more fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this bill does exactly that.”He voted against advancing the legislation.There were several other Democrats who voted in favor of proceeding on the bill who would not commit to supporting the final package, including Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who told Punchbowl News that he needs more assurances from the White House on the administration fairly implementing permitting reforms for wind and solar power, in addition to fossil fuels.Just minutes before the vote, Trump said he would not approve any wind farms, calling the projects “losers.”“The bill hasn’t been fully negotiated,” he said during an impromptu press conference. “I will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.”GREEN GROUPS SPLIT AS PERMITTING REFORM BILL CREATES FORK IN THE ROADHere is a complete list of senators who voted against advancing the legislation: