After it became clear that it didn't have enough support, Senator Joe Manchin dropped his attempt to include an energy permit in must-pass legislation to fund the government.
The funding bill that is needed to keep the government operating past the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year was stalled by opposition to Manchin's plan to speed up approval of energy projects. The Senate is likely to vote on the stopgap spending bill later Tuesday, as it has been removed from the energy provision.
It is unfortunate that the members of the United States Senate are allowing politics to put the energy security of our nation at risk, Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. He said that we should never come to the brink of a government shutdown over politics. The decision marks the end of the effort by Manchin to convince his colleagues to support compromise energy permit changes he argued were key to US energy independence and transition to renewable sources. Manchin faced opposition to fossil fuel provisions from progressives in the Democratic Party as well as Republican demands for more extensive changes.
The provision had been attached to the must-pass spending bill in exchange for his crucial vote on a climate and tax package in August, as part of a deal between Manchin, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden.
Manchin's bill would put a two-year time goal on environmental reviews for large energy projects and a year for smaller ones. The legislation would be able to designate a list of at least 25 high-priority energy infrastructure projects for which permitting would be prioritized.
Schumer said he, Manchin and other senators will continue to talk about how to make sure that permitting reform is passed before the end of the year. In the coming months, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, said she would work with Manchin to negotiate a new version that can get GOP support.
She said it was a one party proposal. Capito is looking to include it in the annual defense policy bill that comes to the Senate floor as soon as October. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said she hopes Manchin's bill gets a vote. She said it helps prevent any shutdown risk. The way to the passage is smooth. Both the House and Senate must finish work on the government funding bill by the end of the day Friday to avoid non-essential government services shutting down on Saturday.
More than $12 billion is being sent to Ukraine to help with its war with Russia, $1 billion for emergency home heating assistance, $2 billion for previous disasters and $2.5 billion for New Mexico wildfires as a result of the stopgap measure. The bill would allow Food and Drug Administration users fees to be extended for five years, avoiding threats of layoffs and disruption of product testing.
No new funds were included in the bill to combat the coronaviruses or monkeypox, as requested by the White House.
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