Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito and ranking Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse are meeting to discuss reforming the federal energy permitting process. This comes after Democrats announced a thaw in permitting talks. The proposal involves speeding up permitting for building energy infrastructure and making it easier for renewable energy projects to be built out. However, any agreement would likely include changes to longstanding environmental laws and expedited approvals for both oil and gas and renewables. The tech industry also supports permitting reform to increase energy costs and help tackle rising tax rates.