In a one-sided vote in the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, a bipartisan bill was passed that would overhaul the process for obtaining federal permits for energy projects.
The vote of 15 to 4 showed broad support for the billalthough it remains unclear whether Congress will take the time in an election year to get the measure to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Members of both parties have complained that the process of approving energy projects by federal agencies is too complicated and lengthy, delaying both tidy energy and fossil fuel production. The bill, introduced by Independent Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming, aims to streamline the approval process at the federal level.
The bill would also require the sale of leases for oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico and a controversial Break on certain liquefied natural gas exports that Biden introduced in January.
At the committee meeting on Wednesday, Manchin, the panel’s chairman, said only a bipartisan approach could effectively resolve the energy permitting problems. The bill is the result of nearly two years of negotiations involving numerous interested parties, he said.
“We listened to everybody,” Manchin said. “And I think we hit the middle ground.”
Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, as well as independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, voted against the measure. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri also voted no.
Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who is expected to become the next top candidate on the committee after former Democrat Manchin resigns in January, sponsored the bill, which could give the package a boost in the next Congress if it stalls this year.
Heinrich said that while certain provisions would lead to an boost in carbon dioxide emissions, the benefits of the law outweigh the harms.
“This was a carefully crafted, bipartisan and balanced bill,” he said after the vote. “We all have things we love about it. We also have a few things we’re not so excited about, but that’s the way legislation works.”
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska echoed similar sentiments, saying the bill lacks some elements she wanted but is overall a positive step.
“I think it’s important that we make progress on licensing reform,” she said. “And while this is not, as we all acknowledge, the end of life, it does move us forward.”
Environmental resistance
While most Democrats on the committee supported the bill, some opposed the measure on the grounds that it would benefit the fossil fuel industry. Some environmentalists also raised this objection.
“It is disappointing that so many senators were duped into agreeing to yet another favor deal for the fossil fuel industry in exchange for meager improvements in power transmission,” Brett Hartl, director of government affairs at the environmental organization Center for Biological Diversity, wrote in a statement.
Wyden said he supports several parts of the bill but could not support the entire package. The bill would counteract legislation passed by Democrats in 2022 that provided hundreds of millions of dollars in tidy energy tax breaks, Wyden said.
Wyden praised provisions to revise mining standards, make it easier to permit power lines and address geothermal energy. If the bill contained only those provisions, he would support it and “recommend a parade down Main Street,” Wyden said.
“Unfortunately, this bill contains a number of provisions that run counter to what I think the 2022 effort was really about, which was transformative efforts,” he said.
Rejected amendments
Wyden called for further efforts to revise the bill before it comes to a vote in the Senate. Other lawmakers, including those who voted for the bill, also called for further adjustments.
Murkowski, a former committee chair, expressed disappointment that the bill did not include more on hydropower.
Manchin told Murkowski that he would continue to work with her on hydropower.
Members of both parties introduced a number of amendments on Wednesday. The Republicans mainly called for additional requirements on the production of fossil fuels. The Democrats called for restrictions on the production of fossil fuels.
Manchin led the opposition to all of the amendments introduced Wednesday, saying they would jeopardize the bill’s careful bipartisan balance.
“I believe that we have found a reasonable compromise with our bill,” he said.
