Pirate's Cove

Now, streamlining permitting is a darned good idea. Unfortunately, Manchin made a massive mistake in giving his vote for Build Back Better v4, er, (won’t reduce) Inflation Reduction Act in exchange for a promise to get his streamlining scheme passed in a future bill, because too many hyper-left Democrats are trying to scuttle it, and now Republicans are refusing to play along

Manchin’s pitch to energy leaders: IRA without permitting reform a missed opportunity

Sen. Joe Manchin pitched his permitting reform legislation to a crowd of global energy leaders and private sector executives as essential to achieving the full goals of the Inflation Reduction Act he helped craft.

The West Virginia Democrat also told the crowd at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh that the Senate would start voting on the permitting legislation next week, likely on Tuesday. But the legislation faces stiff opposition in both parties.

Manchin’s appearance was disrupted by a handful of protesters seemingly opposed to the bill’s provisions aimed to help spur completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which the senator is a staunch advocate of. This followed a protest Thursday against permitting of natural gas infrastructure at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by opponents of efforts to build new fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States.

It would be great if the permitting scheme does get passed

Most of the developed world can build and permit infrastructure in a few years, but the U.S. permitting process can take as long as a decade, Manchin said.

“Why should we be at a disadvantage and can’t compete?” he said. “We know what needs to be done. Why can’t we be able to do it?”

In the Inflation Reduction Act, “everything’s based on a 10-year window,” Manchin added. “If it takes seven to eight years or longer to permit something, we’re going to miss the window for having those investments come to fruition and you miss that window, then you’re going to have money stranded out there.”

Yes, it does take way too long, and the lunatics sue left and right to stop the project, and can usually find a sympathetic judge to jam up the works.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters Friday the Biden administration supports the deal that it took to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, including the permitting bill.

“We are very excited at DOE about the potential for streamlined permitting on clean energy projects,” she said. “I think that holds the greatest promise for the goals we’d like to achieve which is, of course, to get to 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.”

So, even if it gets passed, it won’t get used for fossil fuels projects. Good work, Joe, good work. Really, he got played, and sold out the people of West Virginia, and the rest of the United States. The final result will be fastrack permitting for “green” energy projects, and nothing for pipelines and such.