Today, Senator Joe Manchin released updated text of his dirty permitting deal and announced his intention bring it to the Senate floor as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). After the release of the text, Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen issued the following statement:

“As Senator Manchin makes changes to his dirty permitting deal in an effort to secure Republican votes, the bill has only gotten worse. The reality is that this bill remains highly unpopular and has continually failed. Instead of changing course and welcoming input from diverse stakeholders on real permitting reform, both Senator Manchin and Congressional leadership are continuing their efforts to ram this through Congress — no matter the cost. We need policies that help us build a clean energy future that works for everyone.

“Senator Schumer and Senator Carper must drop their support of this misguided legislation. We have defeated this bill twice before, and we will do so again in close partnership with environmental justice communities who will be actively harmed by this giveaway to the fossil fuel industry. We urge Senators who have long opposed this deal to hold the line and reject this deal if it comes to the floor for a vote.”