President Joe Biden strongly supports permitting-reform legislation by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W-Va., the White House said Thursday.
Manchin has been seeking permitting reform, which would expedite the environmental review process of infrastructure and energy projects.
"I support Senator Manchin's permitting reform proposal as a way to cut Americans' energy bills, promote US energy security, and boost our ability to get energy projects built and connected to the grid," Biden said in a statement released Thursday.
"Today, far too many projects face delays — keeping us from generating critical, cost-saving energy needed by families and businesses across America. That's an impediment to our economic growth, for creating new jobs, and for lessening our reliance on foreign imports."
Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had an agreement that the leader would pursue the reform legislation in return for the senator's support for Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
A bipartisan group of Republicans and progressives fought against Manchin's plans.
Last week, permitting reform was excluded from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Schumer said Tuesday he will force a vote on including Manchin's amended permitting reform bill in the must-pass defense spending bill, the Washington Examiner reported.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, indicated Tuesday they will vote against the amendment, E&E News reported.
"Senator Manchin's legislation is an important step toward unlocking the potential of these new energy projects to cut consumer costs and spur good-paying jobs," Biden said in his statement. "It is critical to improve the permitting process so we can produce and deliver energy to consumers in all parts of the country.
"The Congress promised the American people a more reliable, affordable, sustainable, 'made in the USA' energy future when it passed the Inflation Reduction Act. Congress can help keep that promise and advance our energy future by passing Senator Manchin's permitting reform legislation."
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