Senators Introduce Bill to Shorten Approval Time of Energy and Mining Projects
A bill sponsored by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Joe Manchin and Senator John Barrasso proposes giving the Department of Energy 90 days to approve new LNG export projects and aims to shorten approval times for energy and mining projects.
“The United States of America is blessed with abundant natural resources that have powered our nation to greatness and allow us to help our friends and allies around the world,” Manchin said in a press release. “Unfortunately, today our outdated permitting system is stifling our economic growth, geopolitical strength, and ability to reduce emissions.”
To address the problem, the two legislators “put together a commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation that will speed up permitting and provide more certainty for all types of energy and mineral projects without bypassing important protections for our environment and impacted communities.”
In a news story on the bill, Bloomberg noted that it was unlikely to be passed as it is but it could make an important part of future energy legislation during the next Congress.
The focus of the bill is on shortening approval times for new energy and mining projects, as well as grid expansion projects that regulators have warned are essential for a changing energy system that relies increasingly on wind and solar generation capacity.
Manchin and Barrasso are among vocal critics of President Biden’s so-called pause on new LNG export capacity approvals, which came into effect earlier this year under pressure from climate activists, who argued natural gas is even worse for the climate than coal. The move prompted more than a dozen states to sue the federal government. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the pause.
In his ruling, Judge Cain said that the government’s move had been arbitrary, capricious, and unconstitutional and that it had violated the Natural Gas Act. Judge Cain added that the Department of Energy had gone “above and beyond its scope of authority.”
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
US Senators release energy permitting reform bill
Staff Writer | July 22, 2024
US Senator Joe Manchin. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
US Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), on behalf of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released on Monday the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024.
The legislation could speed up approvals of clean-energy, pipeline and electricity transmission projects by shortening some federal environmental reviews and setting limits on court challenges.
“The United States of America is blessed with abundant natural resources that have powered our nation to greatness and allow us to help our friends and allies around the world,” Manchin said in a news release. “Unfortunately, today our outdated permitting system is stifling our economic growth, geopolitical strength, and ability to reduce emissions.”
He went on to say that the bill is a result of over a year of hearings in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, considering input from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and negotiations. Manchin currently serves as Chairman of the Committee.
It signals a win for West Virginia Senator Manchin, previously a Democrat, now serving as an Independent, after a previously stalled legislative effort to fast-track energy projects. A bid to attach the energy-permitting package was dropped from must-pass government funding legislation in the Senate last year when it didn’t have the votes.
“A commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation will speed up permitting and provide more certainty for all types of energy and mineral projects without bypassing important protections for our environment and impacted communities,” Manchin continued.
“The Energy Permitting Reform Act will advance American energy once again to bring down prices, create domestic jobs, and allow us to continue in our role as a global energy leader.”
“Washington’s disastrous permitting system has shackled American energy production and punished families in Wyoming and across our country. Congress must step in and fix this process,” added Barrasso, Ranking Member of the Committee. “Our bipartisan bill secures future access to oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters.”
The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) released a statement on Tuesday applauding the bill.
“Our inefficient federal permitting system is a significant deterrent to attracting investment in the United States to explore for and develop strategic mineral resources, and it has resulted in the US being increasingly reliant on foreign countries,” AEMA executive director Mark Compton said in the statement.
“The permitting reforms in this deal are a good start, and we look forward to working with both sides of the aisle to see they become law.”
Full text of the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 can be found here.
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