A proposal from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) would not only expedite the approval of fossil fuel projects but also accelerate construction of new power transmission lines needed to plug renewables into the grid. “Right now, the permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, including transmission, is plagued by delays and bottlenecks,” John Podesta, President Biden’s senior adviser for clean energy innovation, told an audience at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “We’ve got to fix this problem now.”
The bill would fast-track the Mountain Valley Pipeline and set a two-year limit on environmental reviews of all major federal energy projects, whether clean or not. Podesta also noted the need to update the regulations covering the mining industry, which have not been touched since 1872. “Even though the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant are still on recommend[ed] reading lists, [the] mining legislation he signed more than 150 years ago is a little out of date,” Podesta added. (Axios, The Hill, New York Times $)