Details on the permitting reform demanded by Senator Manchin remain scant. Many fear it could prove a giveaway to fossil fuel companies.
By Kate Aronoff, The New Republic
Last month, Senator Chuck Schumer struck a deal. Now the majority leader seems determined to see it through, despite ever more Democrats expressing their skepticism.
The broad outlines of the bargain reached principally between Schumer, as Senate majority leader, and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was this: In exchange for Manchin’s vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which contained numerous Democratic climate priorities, Schumer would put something called permitting reform into the continuing resolution, or C.R., that needs to pass to keep funding the federal government after the end of the month. In essence, permitting reform means streamlining the process by which new energy infrastructure—clean or otherwise—gets approved at the federal level.

“The bottom line is very simple,” Schumer told reporters on Tuesday. “The permitting agreement is part of the IRA agreement. I’m going to add it to the C.R., and it will pass.” The majority leader’s office declined to provide another on-the-record statement for this piece.
What exactly Manchin and Schumer propose to pass under the heading of “permitting reform” remains a bit of a mystery. The most recent available text is still a draft leaked way back in July, emblazoned with a watermark from the American Petroleum Institute. A one-pager along similar lines has been circulating among lawmakers and lobbyists for several weeks. These drafts suggest permitting reform may consist of developing a list of “priority” projects—including projects for fossil fuels, carbon capture and storage, critical minerals, nuclear, hydrogen, electric transmission, renewables. The drafts also include limiting timelines for environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA; limiting court challenges to energy infrastructure; and expanding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s ability to approve interstate transmission lines, overriding state and local blockages. The text also includes a green light for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a pet project of Manchin’s that he hopes to exclude from any sort of judicial review, overriding the courts that have already blocked it.
Recent Posts
Feeding The Warfare State
July 1, 2025
Take Action Now We Lose, the Weapons Makers WinBy William D. Hartung, Tom Dispatch The Senate is on the verge of passing the distinctly misnamed…
The Rage Of Billionaires And The Frenzy To Stop Zohran Mamdani From Becoming New York’s Mayor
June 30, 2025
Take Action Now The constellation of forces now regrouping with a vengeance includes titans of Wall Street, enormous real estate interests,…
It’s Not Just The Cities. Extreme Heat Is A Growing Threat To Rural America.
June 28, 2025
Take Action Now The urban heat island sits in a rural heat ocean.By Umair Irfan, Vox Summer has officially begun with a blast of scorching…
Mamdani’s Massive Victory Should Show Democrats Where The Party’s Future Lies
June 27, 2025
Take Action Now NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has thrown the drowning Democratic Party a life vest. Will its leaders use it?By Sam…