While Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has withdrawn his own permitting bill, it is expected to surface again as Congress turns to permitting reforms to make it easier to build the necessary infrastructure for the energy systems of the future — especially after authorizing $370 billion in funding for new, cleaner-energy sources. All the money in the world will not help projects without building permissions, but Manchin’s proposal is not well-designed to speed up construction of infrastructure for new energy sources. The bill could be salvaged, though, by making a few strategic changes to transform it into a much better vehicle for speeding up permitting and securing cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy for America.
Many of the projects that we most need for a clean-energy transition face particular permitting difficulties because they require permits from multiple states or communities and the federal government. Our traditional energy commodities, oil and coal, are less dependent on building long-distance infrastructure because they can rely on existing railroads and pipelines, and they are easier to ship by rail, road or waterways. By contrast, products such as renewable electricity, natural gas and hydrogen can be shipped only through new, long-distance infrastructure. So, to clean up our energy system we must speed up permitting reform to be able to build the infrastructure.