Senate Democrats Vote To Approve Deregulation of Energy Permitting, a First Step Toward ‘Project 2025’

July 31, 2024

Senate Democrats Vote To Approve Deregulation of Energy Permitting, a First Step Toward 'Project 2025'

Three Key Democrats Voted "No" on Legislation that Eviscerates Public Interest Protections From LNG Exports

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted in favor of Senator Joe Manchin's Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 today. Under the guise of "permitting reform," the legislation eviscerates public interest regulations for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports along with numerous other fossil fuel giveaways. The Wall Street Journal editorial board correctly characterizes the legislation as "a political winner for Trump." In response, Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program,issued the following statement:

"Joe Manchin's sweeping energy permitting bill is nothing short of the first steps to implement the radical corporate giveaway agenda espoused in 'Project 2025,' and the measure undermines hard-won environmental justice and consumer protections by President Biden. This proposal includes a litany of fossil fuel giveaways, undermining potential climate benefits that might be attained by bringing renewable energy sources to the grid more quickly.

"The bill was written behind closed doors by corporate lobbyists without public input and was fast-tracked to a committee vote in an attempt to blindside senators huffing the jet fumes of summer recess.

"This legislation would enact pieces of the harmful agenda of Project 2025, the corporate-friendly policy agenda developed by the Heritage Foundation. That agenda essentially calls for automatic approvals of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports regardless of the impact on climate change, frontline communities suffering with environmental and health problems and on prices for American families. The bill would also make it harder to build renewable energy on public lands, while making it easier to drill for oil and gas and to dump mining waste."

"Some Democrats who voted for the bill claim "this is the best deal we can get". That is false. This legislation will only get worse if it advances to the floor and then heads to the GOP House. We call on Senate leadership to stop this misguided legislation."

Further reading: Manchin's Permitting Fiasco Sides With Project 2025 Over Communities and the Climate

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