U.S. Senators Propose Bill to Fast-Track Energy Project Approvals
(Reuters) — The top two lawmakers on the Senate energy committee on Monday introduced long-awaited legislation to speed permitting of power transmission, mining and liquefied natural gas export projects.
Senators Joe Manchin, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and John Barrasso, a Republican, said their bill would strengthen the power grid and help keep power prices low.
Building transmission capacity would help get electricity to cities from renewable power projects, many of which have gotten financial support from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Nearly 2,000 MW of clean energy is awaiting grid connection. The bill could help speed the Biden administration's goal to decarbonize the U.S. power sector by 2035.
"For far too long, Washington’s disastrous permitting system has shackled American energy production and punished families in Wyoming and across our country," said Barrasso, of Wyoming, the nation's top coal producing state. "Congress must step in and fix this process."
The bill gives companies more chances to bid on offshore oil and gas leasing between 2025 and 2029. In addition, the legislation sets a 90-day deadline for a secretary of energy to approve or deny liquefied natural gas export applications, which Barrasso said would "permanently end" President Joe Biden's pause on such approvals.
Amy Andryszak, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), expressed strong support for the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. She commended the bipartisan effort, highlighting its potential to accelerate the development of essential energy infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines and LNG facilities.
“Reforms to our broken permitting systems are necessary to ensure development of infrastructure to meet growing energy demands and ensure reliability,” Andryszak said.
Andryszak noted that the proposed reforms include important provisions related to judicial review and the approval of LNG export facilities, marking a positive step towards improving the permitting process. She welcomed the renewed focus on this issue and expressed hope that the bill will advance through Congress. INGAA anticipates continued progress on additional legislation that will further address and streamline the permitting processes for natural gas infrastructure.
Manchin, called it a "commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation that will speed up permitting and provide more certainty for all types of energy and mineral projects without bypassing important protections for our environment and impacted communities."
The National Mining Association said the bill could help unlock mining for important minerals used in transmission, renewable energy and energy storage, such as copper.
Prospects for the bill to advance are uncertain given election-year politics and potential opposition to its measures supporting fossil fuel.
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