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How often has an important project seemed ready to roll -- members of both political parties on board, even -- when any good they might do is brought to a screeching halt by a problem with federal red tape? Certainly here in West Virginia we know that story. That may be why it was Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who chaired a hearing last week of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to discuss what's next for permitting reform.
"Today we continue the important work of considering reforms to our energy permitting system and the state of energy on our public lands and waters," Manchin said. "Permitting reform is essential for more reliable and affordable energy and to make our country more secure and competitive."
We won't diversify our energy portfolio and become more energy independent if we continue to hold ourselves back.
Manchin has been at this for a while, though, having been forced to pull permitting reform language from a bill last summer, only to have some of it included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
"Congress took a meaningful step forward in June with the Fiscal Responsibility Act. … That included firm deadlines to complete reviews, requirements that agencies work simultaneously on a single environmental review, and several others. But there is still much more to do."
What comes next?
"One critical element which wasn't included in the debt deal that would benefit all types of energy projects, from pipelines to offshore wind to mining projects, are judicial reforms," Manchin said. "While the debt deal shrunk (National Environmental Policy Act) review timelines down to no more than two years … litigation on the back end can add many more years to the permitting process after agencies complete their work."
Again, we know that pain all too well here, but progress is being hampered all over the country. Manchin and other committee members must be tireless in pushing for reform that ensures we can move forward on projects.