Senate vote on pipeline bill expediting approval in debt bill

An amendment to strip language in the debt-ceiling bill expediting approval of Equitrans Midstream Corp. s Mountain Valley Pipeline is expected to receive a Senate vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

It remains to be seen if the bill proposed by Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who would see the pipeline cut through his state, will muster the requisite majority votes for passage. In the Senate, if it does pass, the bill would need to go back for a second vote in the House.

The language in the current debt-ceiling legislation would require federal agencies to issue the remaining permits needed for the 303-mile 488-kilometer natural gas pipeline and shield those permits from legal challenges, enraging environmentalists and progressive Democrats. The $6.6 billion project, which has been years behind schedule and would provide drillers with much-needed takeaway capacity, has been repeatedly stalled by challenges from climate advocates.

Congress should not put their thumb on the scale to say yes or no. As an application, Mountain Valley must be treated as if every other application. It shouldn't be given a special deal, and just have all judicial review and administrative process waived away. The language supporting the multibillion dollar pipeline was slipped into the must-pass debt-limit legislation at the behest of Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who gave the pivotal vote on President Joe Biden's massive climate law in the evenly divided Senate last summer.

Alongside Equitrans Midstream, other companies with a stake in the joint venture include NextEra Energy Inc. Con Edison Transmission Inc. and WGL Midstream Ltd.

Can Ketamine retreats improve productivity in the office?