Today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) reintroduced the Building American Energy Security Act of 2023. The bill is identical to the permitting provisions he attempted to add to multiple pieces of must-pass legislation last year. It contains numerous harmful provisions that would greenlight more dirty mining and fossil fuel projects, silence communities, limit the ability of individuals to seek redress for bad projects in the courts, and mandate the construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline. Following the introduction, Earthjustice Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García issued the following statement:

“This proposal is just as damaging today as it was the last three times Senator Manchin attempted to ram it through Congress and does nothing to help us reach our clean energy goals. It’s nothing more than a polluter wishlist that would shield industries from scrutiny, limit project transparency, and prevent communities from having a say in the projects built in their backyards. Any proposal to gut bedrock environmental laws for the gain of fossil fuel and mining companies is putting us on a dangerous path forward.

“The health and well-being of our families is more important than corporate profits. We will fight this proposal with the same vigor as we did the last time, shoulder to shoulder with the frontline communities most impacted by dirty energy development.”