America’s energy economy, from offshore drilling to solar power, could get a boost if a permitting reform bill passed by a key committee can make it through Congress. And with a Biden/Harris administration trying to change the conversation about energy policy and fracking bans, the timing may be fortuitous.
The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, co-sponsored by Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.V.) was passed out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week on a bipartisan 15-4 vote.
“After more than a year of bipartisan negotiations with chairman Manchin, we are now one step closer to getting the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act signed into law. Our bill is a true all-of-the-above energy policy – targeted, timely, and good for all Americans,” said Barrasso.
Advocates for U.S. energy independence say that, without speeding up the permitting process, America will never have the raw materials it needs to achieve that national security goal.
For example, It takes 29 years for a mine on American soil to be developed and start production, according to a survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The only country that takes longer is the African nation of Zambia. Zambia is 118 on the 2023 Global Innovation Index. America is ranked third.
“The status quo on mine permitting is no longer an option; the time to reform our permitting process is now,” said National Mining Association President and CEO Rich Nolan.
Manchin, a moderate Democrat who recently left his party to become an independent, highlights the vital role of reform for green energy projects across the U.S., too. Wind and solar technology require minerals like copper, lithium and rare earth elements, many of which can be mined in America.
“This is everything that’s needed in this country to make sure that we’re able to deliver dependable, reliable, and affordable energy in the cleanest fashion possible,” Manchin said.
The permitting fix is finding support from a diverse group of organizations who are often on opposite sides of policy debates.
The pro-free-market group Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN) praised the plan as “an all-of-the-above approach to energy infrastructure development.
“It’s accelerating the permitting process for energy projects across the board – renewables like wind and solar that are vital for our nation’s future and the traditional sources of energy that still form the foundation of reliable, affordable energy in this country,” said Craig Stevens, GAIN Coalition spokesman and former senior advisor to U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.
The Environmental Defense Fund praised the bill’s plan to make it easier to build out solar and wind energy projects that have stalled due to permitting delays. Those delays have been a harsh reality for green energy groups who want to push the U.S. toward a zero-fossil-fuel future.
It can take up to 10 years for renewable energy projects to receive all necessary permits. The permitting process for traditional energy projects can take decades due to red tape and lawsuits.
This is one of the motives for congressional Democrats, who want to run for re-election on the green tech investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, to support permitting reform.
In the key swing state of Pennsylvania, the permitting reform bill is of great interest, particularly when it comes to expanding pipeline infrastructure.
Andre Beliveau with the Commonwealth Foundation says that while politicians can chant “drill, baby, drill,” permitting reform deals with a more immediate problem: lack of energy infrastructure. More oil and gas is useless if you can’t move it to the markets where it’s needed.
And right now, “There’s very little room to move new or additional product down the pipe,” Beliveau said.
President Biden hasn’t pledged to sign the bill if Congress can get it to his desk, but the White House is reportedly open to the legislation based on what they’ve seen so far.
And then there’s the politics of the 2024 presidential election.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, has a record of supporting anti-fossil fuel policies that are problematic in a state like Pennsylvania. In the past, she repeatedly pledged to ban fracking, a position her campaign says she has now abandoned — though Harris has not answered questions about the policy herself.
Will a Biden/Harris White House want to support a bill that greenlights billions in green energy infrastructure, while simultaneously sending a signal to Pennsylvania and other fossil-fuel-rich states that Harris is willing to compromise? Or will pressure from green groups who oppose any new fossil fuel development push her to oppose this bipartisan plan?
Manchin is hopeful.
“Hopefully, we’ll have it done before the end of the year,” he said.
Taylor Millard writes about politics and public policy.
Reprinted with Permission from DC Journal – By Taylor Millard
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
This should be GOP’s motto: “ONE person’s Socialism is another person’s Communism!”