Sen. Manchin Aims to Undo Biden Permitting Rule

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, chair of the Senate Energy Committee, said he wants to undo the Biden administration's final rule on permitting, according to The Hill.

Manchin, a vocal opponent of the permitting law and other Biden energy policies, said he plans to file a Congressional Review Act resolution.

"All the White House had to do was implement the commonsense, bipartisan permitting reforms in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, that all sides agreed upon," Manchin said. "But once again they've disregarded the deal that was made, the intent of the law that was signed, and are instead corrupting it with their own radical agenda."

Manchin said the Biden administration's permitting rule will just lead to more costly delays and litigation.

The new process would streamline permits that would not have enough of an environmental impact to require a full review, according to The Hill. The Energy Department is also undoing a rule from the Trump administration that added hurdles to public comment, The Hill reported.

A Congressional Review Act resolution allows for a simple majority of both houses of Congress to repeal a federal rule, though Biden has vetoed previous CRA resolutions targeting his administration's energy and environmental rules, according to The Hill.

Manchin told Upstream earlier this year that updates to the U.S. approvals process were included in an earlier draft of the Inflation Reduction Act but were thrown out because no funds were found to back it.

In February, Manchin supported legislation opposing the Security and Exchange Commission's new climate disclosure rule, that requires companies to disclose to investors how their operations impact the climate.

Manchin announced last November he is not running for re-election for a third term. He also declined to launch a third-party presidential bid earlier this year.

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