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A bipartisan effort to speed up construction of the nation’s energy projects has failed, or at least won’t be attached to an interim funding bill, two key lawmakers involved in the effort say.
Sens. Joe Manchin (IW.Va.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) said in separate statements Monday that bipartisan and bicameral talks were unsuccessful.
“It’s a shame that our country is missing this monumental opportunity to move forward on the common-sense, bipartisan permit reform bill that has strong support in the U.S. Senate,” Manchin said in a written statement Monday.
He blamed House Republican leaders, adding, “By taking permits off the table for this Congress, President Johnson and the House Republican leadership have done a disservice to the incoming Trump administration, which . .. will now be forced to operate with their hands tied behind their backs when they try to issue permits for all kinds of energy and infrastructure projects that our country needs.”
Carper also blamed the House GOP.
“Unfortunately, instead of achieving real policy victories, House Republicans are letting their perfect be the enemy of good,” he said in a statement late Monday.
“I’m very disappointed that House Republicans have abandoned this opportunity,” he added.
For years, Republicans and Democrats have been working to find compromise legislation they say will allow the nation to build energy projects faster.
Republicans have said they want to find a deal to build fossil fuel infrastructure faster and protect corporations from having their projects derailed by lawsuits.
Democrats who supported a deal have said they hope to spur a faster build-out of renewable energy and electric power, which they say is key to getting low-carbon power online.
Other Democrats have opposed those policies, saying they will undermine environmental standards and community input — and who are generally opposed to building more fossil fuel infrastructure.
However, Manchin and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced a bill over the summer this gained significant bipartisan acceptance in the upper chamber.
They had been discussing the bill with the House leadership for months. Carper’s statement makes it appear that these discussions were not fruitful.
But the comments come just days after key Republican negotiator Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said Friday that discussions were moving forward.
“We’ve made progress and we’re still at the table working in good faith,” Westerman told The Hill in a statement at the time. “We have to get it right and we’re still working on a handful of issues that could unlock a deal.”
However, an aide on the Environment and Public Works Committee said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ended the permit talks.
Johnson’s office over the weekend declined to comment. He, along with other Republican offices, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Carper’s statement Monday.
Reaching a deal would have been a key legacy item for both Carper and Manchin, who are retiring. Manchin has been a particular driving force in enabling reform efforts: He struck a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) on the issue in 2022 as part of his deal to pass the climate, health and taxes signature of the Democrats.
With its governing trifecta next year, the GOP is eyeing the possibility of passing its own energy bill through a process called reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority to pass the Senate, bypassing a filibuster. However, it is unclear whether Republicans could pass any reforms to speed up the energy buildup, as these “reconciliation” bills must be budgetary in nature.
— Updated at 5:15 p.m
