Meanwhile, the national security-focused group Securing American’s Future Energy (SAFE) has also been meeting with lawmakers, and it is circulating a Nov. 18 letter to congressional leaders in support of the Manchin-Barrasso measure.
The letter, signed by former military officials and some industry representatives, argues current permitting processes are a “preeminent risk” to national security and economic competitiveness. “The time to address this self-imposed restriction on America’s capabilities is now.”
While there might be “opposition from individuals within both” parties to components of the Manchin-Barrasso measure, “these are small concerns in the context of the broader objectives this bill will support,” the letter claims. “When we look back to this moment decades from now, it will be recognized as a generational success — or failure — in bipartisan rationality to ensure lasting energy security.”
SAFE’s Leslie Hayward tells Climate Extra that a variety of energy experts support streamlined permitting, whether they are focused more on renewable energy or on fossil fuels.
Hayward also acknowledges as a potential challenge that Republicans buoyed by their recent election victory might assume delay is justified because they see a “blank slate” from which to craft a permitting package next Congress.
But “having a blank slate does not mean that it is easy or that you can address these really complex issues in a short time,” Hayward warns. And “there is a lot of good stuff for everybody in this bill.”
Read the full story: Permit Bill Backers Ramp Up Late-Hour Appeals For Lame-Duck Passage
