Today, Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. The bill would increase oil and gas extraction on public lands, undo the Biden administration’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pause, and facilitate the construction of more fossil fuel infrastructure that would lock us into decades of fossil fuels use. Additionally, it would reverse long-standing precedent on how mining operations are conducted on public lands and limit the ability of local communities to seek justice in the courts.

After its introduction, Earthjustice Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García issued the following statement:

“The climate crisis requires urgently building out the clean energy infrastructure of the future, but this bill greenlights a massive fossil fuel buildout in the name of compromise. Communities are being harmed by the impacts of pollution and climate change and they need real solutions, not giveaways to polluting industries.

“Our energy transition should include robust partnerships with impacted communities alongside strong environmental protections that build on recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) actions to catalyze the construction of new transmission infrastructure. This bill is not the bold and transformative legislation we need to get transmission and renewable energy to every home in this country. We urge Congress to reject this proposal, and instead pass proposals like the Clean Electricity and Transmission Act and the Environmental Justice for All Act to help us reach our clean energy goals while protecting communities.”