Mountain State residents don't have to worry whether they've got people working on their behalf in Washington. The negotiations leading up to a compromise Fiscal Responsibility Act are proof. Because of the work done by our senators and representative, permitting reform language and other measures to speed up the Mountain Valley Pipeline are part of the compromise.
"We are grateful for the full support of the White House, as well as the strong leadership of Democratic and Republican legislators for recognizing the Mountain Valley Pipeline as a critical energy infrastructure project," said Natalie A. Cox, a spokesperson for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project.
"There is not another pipeline or another project in the United States of America that could bring that much energy, 2 billion cubic feet a day, into the marketplace within a six-month period of time if it was completed," Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said. The compromise includes provisions from Manchin's permitting reform package, which was yanked last fall.
"I've talked to all the negotiators on both sides of the aisle, Kevin McCarthy and his team, and the president and his team," Manchin continued. "I said this is something that can put this much production this quickly into the line that quickly. ... It's a tremendous boost as far as the economy of West Virginia and parts of Virginia."
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., called the language to reform permitting and complete the MVP a "total team effort."
"The last time I talked with (House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.) was late Saturday as they were inking the deal to make sure it was included, but he wanted to make sure that I knew that he was aware of how much I cared about it," said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. "It was a total team effort. Everyone was talking to as many people as we possibly could.
"We understood the issue, I think, very well because those who are really wanting to have this completed ... spent a lot of time educating members," Capito added. "We helped them get in touch with members that might be kind of fence-sitters or didn't understand. It's been a real process. In the end, it made it in. We're really, really excited about that."
U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., said she was the first person Speaker Kevin McCarthy called about the debt ceiling negotiations.
"I've been working on this for months," Miller said. "It's very, very important to West Virginia. It's important to Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, the Carolinas. It's ridiculous how long this has been held up."
Cox emphasized just how much went into supporting the 304-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is meant to transport natural gas from Wetzel County, connecting it to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, Va.
"In particular, it was the leadership and unwavering commitment of Chairman Manchin who first recognized the importance of MVP to our nation's energy security and spearheaded the development of broad, bipartisan support for the completion of MVP," she said.
We don't always get such clear evidence there are people inside the beltway working for us, but it is encouraging.
Now, let's see what else they can get done.