“A side agreement reached between Democratic leadership and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as part of their broader deal on an economic package would overhaul the nation’s process for approving new energy projects, aiming to significantly expedite building across the country by removing bureaucratic obstacles,” the Washington Post reports.
“To win Manchin’s support for the climate, energy, and health care package, Democratic leaders agreed to attempt to advance separate legislation on expediting energy projects. These changes would fall outside the bounds of the Senate budget procedure the party is using to pass its budget bill, making it impossible for Democrats to approve that as part of their reconciliation bill. The new agreement would need GOP support before it could be signed into law.”
“The Democrats’ agreement would set new two-year limits, or maximum timelines, for environmental reviews for ‘major’ projects…. It would also aim to streamline the government process for deciding approvals by centralizing decision-making with one lead agency, the summary adds. The bill would also approve the Mountain Valley pipeline, which would transport Appalachian shale gas about 300 miles from West Virginia to Virginia and is a key priority of Manchin’s.”
