Photo Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A coalition of technology trade associations is pressing lawmakers to pass the Manchin-Barrasso permitting bill in the lame duck.
Why it matters: The letter from the groups, including conservative pro-energy group Clearpath Action, provides some vocal support for the bill amid widespread pessimism it can pass in this session's waning days.
- A likely Republican sweep of Congress would probably push bipartisan permitting reform talks to the next session.
State of play: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill by a bipartisan 15–4 vote in July.
- The House currently has a partisan discussion draft bill focused on NEPA that received a contentious hearing in September.
What they're saying: The Senate bill "would significantly decrease emissions alongside an increase in domestic energy production, a win for both the environment and the economy," the groups said.
- The groups point out that the country is already facing a bottleneck in the development of new energy infrastructure.
Between the lines: The American Petroleum Institute told reporters this week that it's pushing to get Manchin-Barrasso done in lame duck.
- "It's a priority for us, and we believe that while it may only be about 75% of what we need to get this country moving again … we want to get that bill done now and then go get the next 25% when the new president and new Congress take off," API president Mike Sommers said.
What's next: There are still some live discussions about the bill on the Hill, but Republicans have their own ideas to revise NEPA, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act next Congress.
