Democratic leadership has secured the vote of US Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on a $433 spending package, multiple outlets have reported, with an agreement that “requires” federal agencies to expedite construction of the much-maligned Mountain Valley Pipeline and caps the legally-mandated environmental review process on energy infrastructure projects at two years.
The deal was apparently struck between Manchin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, with some reports placing US President Joe Biden in the mix as well.
Other concessions Manchin was apparently able to wring from Democratic leadership in exchange for his support include measures to “address excessive litigation delays” to energy infrastructure projects, such as setting a “statute of limitations for court challenges.”
Environmental advocates have successfully used judicial challenges to delay construction on a number of segments of the Mountain Valley Pipeline for years, relying on more radical activists to step in when the court can’t or won’t.
With developer Equitrans Midstream now revising the cost up to $6.6 billion and the projected in-service date to early 2023, the original construction timeline and projected price tag have both more than doubled since the project was announced in 2014. It claims the pipeline is over 90% completed, although local environmentalists say that figure is highly exaggerated.
The project has languished for several years after a series of legal setbacks left developers unable to continue construction. Per the Washington Post, the new agreement with Manchin to jumpstart it “appears to have been the only way to secure [his] vote for the broader climate deal.”
Though Manchin’s vote is certainly crucial, it only makes 49. With his support in the bag, all eyes in Washington will fall to Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), who’s played a spoiler role in previous Democratic legislative pushes and remained cagey about her intentions regarding the upcoming spending package. For now, at least, her office has reportedly refused all requests for comment.