MORGANTOWN – As Sen. Joe Manchin faces what many are terming an uphill battle for his permitting bill – the Energy Independence and Security Act – he gained a key bit of support on Thursday.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told The Dominion Post, “He got the Mountain Valley Pipeline in there. So, I’m very happy about that. And I like the way it is very similar to mine. Very happy about that. Yes, I will support it.”
A Manchin spokesperson responded to that news, saying, “Sen. Manchin is happy Sen. Capito is supporting the bill.”
The 91-page bill came out on Wednesday. It speeds up National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for major energy and natural resource projects and the court challenges on those projects, and it requires federal agencies to issue all approval and permits necessary for the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, among many other provisions.
A Thursday report in The Hill says that Manchin is not unexpectedly facing opposition from both sides of the aisle. Some Republicans oppose it because they either believe it doesn’t go far enough, or because they want to spank Manchin for voting for the Inflation Reduction Act, or both.
Some Democrats oppose it because it goes too far in terms of their environmental concerns, and because they don’t want it included in the continuing resolution to keep government funded when the new fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has stuck by his pledge to include it in the CR.
Manchin has expected this and said more than once that he hopes Capito’s support will bring along at least 10 GOP votes for the CR to get it over the 60-vote threshold.
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
