Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said Thursday that the process of papering, selling and voting on a potential deal to take up legislation overhauling the federal permitting system will likely push consideration to the lame-duck session in November.
Speaking at a news conference, Whitehouse said that negotiators are “over the hump on the deal-break issues” and that text of a deal “should be finalized within a matter of days, maybe even hours.” Once text is released, Whitehouse added, senators will need a chance to take a look at the legislation and seek feedback from “major stakeholders.”