‘Continuing Headwinds’ Seen for Manchin Permitting Bill as Senate Vote Looms

With the clock ticking, it remained unclear Tuesday whether Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) would secure the votes needed to pass a controversial permitting reform bill supported by the natural gas industry.

The Senate Appropriations Committee released the text Monday evening of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government that must be passed by Sept. 30 to avoid a potential government shutdown.

As promised by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the CR text includes most of Manchin’s permitting reform package, dubbed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022 (EISA).

The EISA would streamline the review process for energy infrastructure, and guarantee approval and completion of the 94% finished Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) project.

The version...