The House on Thursday narrowly approved the PERMIT Act, a Republican-backed measure that would roll back the authority states have used for years to block major pipeline projects under the Clean Water Act. The 221–205 vote marks the chamber’s most aggressive attempt yet to redraw the permitting map just as the U.S. enters the largest natural gas pipeline expansion cycle since the shale boom. At the center of the bill is Section 401 of the Clean Water Act — the clause Northeastern governors have repeatedly used to halt gas lines…