Legislation to overhaul the federal energy and infrastructure permitting system released by Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., on Wednesday would set a two-year target for reviews of major projects and shorten the statute of limitations for legal challenges.
The draft legislation is intended to streamline the permitting process outlined under the National Environmental Policy Act. Manchin said the reforms are necessary to ensure that renewable infrastructure projects can be constructed on a reasonable timeline.
As part of a deal to secure Manchin’s vote for the climate, health care and tax law signed by President Joe Biden last month, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has pledged to include the legislation in a continuing resolution needed to fund the federal government before the beginning of fiscal 2023 on Oct. 1.
