Manchin says opposition to his permitting plan is ‘revenge’ for backing Inflation Reduction Act

sen. Joe Manchin attacked Republicans and the liberal left for seeking “revenge” on him by opposing his reform plan when he announced the final text of the bill will be released Wednesday.

“I’ve been in state politics and federal politics for a long time. I’ve never seen stranger bedfellows than Bernie Sanders and the far-liberal left side with the Republicans,” the West Virginia Democrat said at a news conference Tuesday.

“What I’m hearing is that it sounds like revenge politics,” Manchin said. ‘Actually revenge on one person – me. I think this isn’t about me.’

He specifically called out to his Democratic colleague from Vermont, “Bernie has never supported anything about allowing reforms,” ​​Manchin said. He held up a piece of paper that had been distributed around the room, showing common timetables for permits for energy and mineral projects around the world. In the US, it typically takes 5-10 years to get a permit; in Canada and Australia it only takes 1-3 years.

He specifically called out his Democratic colleague from Vermont, “Bernie has never supported anything about allowing reform,” Manchin said.

Manchin’s team handed out documents to the press conference showing the rise in fuel costs and the length of the permitting process in the US

‘You are actually looking at states with countries that have strict environmental supervision, one to three years. And if you look at what is happening now because of the energy crisis that we have in the war in Ukraine, you have the EU [European Union] considers circumventing all environmental assessments in an emergency. And we don’t think we’re in a crisis. And we’re not going to do anything about it,” Manchin complained.

“The Republican leadership is upset and they’re saying, ‘We’re not going to take the win to Joe Manchin.’ Joe Manchin is not looking for victory. We have a good piece of legislation that is extremely balanced. I think it will prove itself over time,” he added. “How much suffering and how much pain do you want to inflict on the American people?”

Republicans have opposed Manchin’s law reform bill before the text has even been released, with Senator Shelley Capito, RW.Va. Manchin said it’s a “message law.” Others have expressed concern that they won’t be able to vote for a bill they haven’t seen.

“They’re going to see it tomorrow,” Manchin said. “That’s probably a week before we vote.”

Manchin will release the text of its pipeline permitting reform bill on Wednesday

But the main reason for their anger is that the licensing deal was made for Schumer to repay Manchin for his vote on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Manchin dropped his IRA vote only after enough Republican senators voted with the Democrats on the $280 billion Chips Act.

“Given what Senator Manchin did on the Reconciliation Act, [it’s] caused a lot of bad blood,” Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Politico. “There isn’t much sympathy on our side in giving Senator Manchin a reward.”

“I will not vote for a resolution that is part of a political payback plan,” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said last week.

Republican senators, led by Capito, have released their own licensing reform legislation, backed by nearly the entire caucus. Manchin claimed the bill was “nearly in line with what we do.”

‘Utilities [Republicans] going to say, “Well, I’m so sorry. It’s just not perfect enough and Joe Mansions’ name is on it,” whatever the reason. How do you go home and — I couldn’t even go home and explain that,” Manchin said.

Manchin said the bill was a necessity to curb 8.3 percent inflation and rising energy costs.

“If you wait for the Fed to set interest rates so high that it discourages you from spending or buying anything” [to decrease inflation]I’m not in that camp.’

The West Virginia Democrat argued that the bill would not “bypass” environmental assessments, but would simply “speed up” them. When asked what he would say to progressives concerned about environmental costs, Manchin replied, “What is causing harm right now is that dirty fuel is being produced all over the world.”

He and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., are pushing for the Democratic version of the bill and adding it to an ongoing resolution to keep the administration open as Congress has only 10 days to act before government funding runs out at the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

That bill is likely to fund the government until Dec. 16, though Republicans have said they will vote against any bill by the start of next Congress. If the funding only lasts until Dec. 16, Democrats would still have a chance to work out a budget that encompasses their priorities before the next Congress, when Republicans may take back control.

The White House wants additional funds for Covid-19 and Monkeypox added to the CR, while Schumer wants to commit an additional $12 billion in aid for Ukraine, bringing the total to $60 billion.

Manchin’s pipeline legislation is expected to make it more difficult to oppose such projects under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act and could make changes to environmental laws by setting a two-year deadline for project reviews. Early drafts of the legislation also aimed to shorten the time the public can comment on project analysis and require the president to prioritize a list of 25 fossil fuel and mining projects.

The deal, which won White House approval, could provide rapid approval for Equitrans Midstream Corp’s stalled $6.6 billion Mountain Valley gas pipeline.

While construction of the 303-mile pipeline in Mountain Valley is more than 90 percent complete, construction work came to a halt after a federal court rejected a permit for a national forest crossing.

The bill would also transfer licensing authority to federal regulators for power lines and transmission projects deemed to be in the national interest.