West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has dropped his request to include a proposal to expedite the permitting and environmental review process for new energy projects in a government funding extension, opening the door for the funding extension to pass in the U.S. Senate.
Republicans had joined several liberal Democrats in balking at having the Manchin proposal included in the funding bill, which had been part of a compromise negotiated by Senate Democratic leaders to get Manchin to support the Inflation Reduction Act earlier this year.
Environmental advocates applauded the pressure campaign that removed the Manchin proposal, which would have forced the completion of the embattled Mountain Valley Pipeline.
“Congress can now vote to keep the government open without being held hostage by an egregious quid pro quo that put fossil fuel interests over communities and tried to place the Mountain Valley Pipeline above the law,” Southern Environmental Law Center Director of Federal Affairs Nat Mund said. “We’ll remain vigilant for future attempts to erode our bedrock environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act, which is essential to ensuring that real people—not just powerful and politically connected energy companies—have a seat at the table,”
SELC Senior Attorney and leader of its Regional Gas team, Greg Buppert, called the failed attempt to place the Mountain Valley Pipeline above the law “a testament to the desperation of its backers.”
“The fact that the pipeline company thought its best option was trying to sweet talk Congress into exempting the project from environmental laws and then locking the public out of court highlights what folks on the ground have known for years: the Mountain Valley Pipeline is a risky project in the wrong place and its self-inflicted problems aren’t going away,” Buppert said.
A new analysis from Oil Change International revealed that emissions from fossil fuel projects that would be helped by the Dirty Deal are 665 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year – more than five times the potential emissions savings from transmission lines waiting on the permits.
Republican Senate leaders have signaled that they are willing to pass a different version of the bill in coming months.
“What we just witnessed is the power of frontline communities united against a threat to our people and planet,” said Russell Chisholm, Mountain Valley Watch coordinator and frontline MVP organizer. “For the past eight weeks, we have exposed the danger of and rallied against Manchin’s Dirty Deal. With support from Congresspeople who spoke out against this Dirty Deal, we have stopped this dangerous bill for now. Let the downfall of this bill be a lesson to Sen. Manchin, his fossil fuel cronies, and allied politicians: we will no longer be sacrificed for your corrupt interests. We are united against all fossil fuel projects and we will ensure the livable and just future that we deserve. Join us or step aside.”
“People power has won the day,” said Grace Tuttle, an organizer with the Protect Our Water Heritage Rights Coalition. “Thank you to everyone who rallied together to stop this bill. We will keep fighting alongside you. Our letters, calls, rallies and grassroots activism secured this victory. We recognize that the fight is not over, and we stand with all frontline communities from the Gulf Coast to Alaska facing fossil-fueled injustices. Our movement to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline is bigger and stronger than ever. We will keep fighting to end the era of fossil fuels and for the future we deserve.”
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, after voting in favor of the government funding extension, still feels the permitting and review process for energy projects needs to be addressed by Congress.
“While the permitting reform proposal from Sen. Manchin was dropped from this bill, I agree that we still need to take sensible steps to reduce European dependence on Russian energy while maintaining an affordable and resilient supply here at home,” Warner said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact reforms to our existing permitting process that protect our national and economic security, but also respect concerns voiced by those communities most impacted by these projects.”
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Chris Graham
