The U.S. Congress is pushing forward the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), which aims to comprehensively reform the approval system for energy and infrastructure projects. The bill, jointly introduced by four Republican and Democratic senators on September 30, is scheduled for a procedural vote in the Senate on November 9, with the goal of advancing legislation before the end of the year. Key aspects of the bill include: reducing the final decision deadline after the completion of major environmental impact assessments to 45 days; shortening the statute of limitations for related environmental lawsuits to 150 days; restricting courts from directly halting projects due to procedural flaws in environmental assessments; and expediting the approval process for power transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, and power generation facilities. Furthermore, the bill specifically establishes a cost-sharing mechanism for the electricity demand of AI data centers, requiring data centers to bear a reasonable share of the existing power grid's costs and the infrastructure costs resulting from their increased load, and to provide financial guarantees before project commencement, even if the project is shut down early. The bill also requires disclosure of data center electricity usage and expands the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) approval authority over interstate power transmission projects. Supporters believe the reforms will help alleviate grid bottlenecks and accelerate the development of clean energy; environmental organizations, however, worry that faster approvals will weaken environmental review and community participation, making it easier to approve natural gas pipelines and water-intensive data centers.