Statement on Manchin agreeing to pull permitting language from continuing resolution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2022

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org

Late this afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Sen. Joe Manchin’s Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022 would be removed from a continuing resolution to keep the government funded after Friday. Sen. Joe Manchin had insisted that the bill be included as part of his deal with Schumer to gain Manchin’s vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, but it became clear there weren’t enough votes to advance the continuing resolution with that legislation attached.

Manchin’s bill would have weakened federal review of energy projects and attempted to force approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Sen. Tim Kaine was one of the leading opponents of attaching the bill to the resolution, citing his constituents’ deep concerns about the pipeline and his concerns about the harmful precedent the bill would create. The measure gained little Republican support, forcing Schumer to pull the bill from the continuing resolution.

Statement from Appalachian Voices Executive Director Tom Cormons:
“The decision to remove the permitting bill from the must-pass continuing resolution is a major victory for good government, for the environment and for the people who have been fighting to stop the destructive and dangerous Mountain Valley Pipeline for the last eight years. Virginians and our neighbors along the pipeline route are celebrating Sen. Tim Kaine’s leadership in courageously opposing the plan to force this unpopular measure through. Sen. Manchin’s legislation would have set a horrible precedent by circumventing normal process on behalf of a project that has repeatedly failed to meet longstanding environmental standards. This proposal was a desperate Hail Mary pass by the pipeline’s developers, who know how many obstacles remain in their path. We will not stop fighting until this harmful project is stopped.”

Statement from Appalachian Voices Virginia Field Coordinator Jessica Sims:
“Communities impacted by fossil fuel projects such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline have been clear that they refuse to be sacrificed and that the voices of those living with the real impacts of the energy industry must be heard. From Alaska to the Gulf Coast to here in Appalachia, collective community action has helped safeguard our bedrock environmental protections and opportunities for meaningful public input on energy projects. The public interest must be protected and we will continue to be vigilant.”