A bill that would accelerate the federal environment review process for large broadband, energy, transportation, and water projects may be coming up for a crucial vote in Congress.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has proposed the Energy Independence and Security Act as a means of lowering energy costs.
“No matter what you want to build, whether its transmission pipelines or hydropower dams, more often than not, it takes too long and drives up energy costs,” Manchin told reporters earlier this fall in discussing his legislation.
“You can double your cost within a five- to six-, seven-year period from what the original cost may have been,” Manchin continued.
The bill would make it possible for the Energy Department to categorize proposed transmission projects as being in the national interest, tasking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to then give those projects a green light.
Manchin’s legislation further requires the president to list up to 25 vital energy and mineral projects that would be subject to a speeded-up review process.
The bill was earlier this fall attached to a stopgap government funding package, only to be subsequently removed. Some critics have expressed concern about the legislation, arguing that an accelerated permitting review process could lead to the approval of projects that are environmentally dangerous.
But now, as the clock runs out on the remaining of the 117th Congress, a new move is underway to pass Manchin’s legislation by attaching it to an upcoming National Defense Authorization Act vote.
In a website editorial, Neil Bradley, chief policy officer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged Congress to approve Manchin’s bill, noting, “Failure to enact permitting reform now will not only delay critical investments in infrastructure, but it will also force Congress to start the process for updating our permitting laws all over again in the new year.”
By Garry Boulard
