I was guardedly optimistic when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced what was portrayed as a measure to streamline the environmental review process of major infrastructure projects. This summer, Sen. Manchin had previously voted with 49 Senate Republicans to overturn a Biden administration action that scrapped modest 2020 Trump administration environmental streamlining, but that measure died in the House. The Associated Press reported:
Manchin countered that, “for years, I’ve worked to fix our broken permitting system, and I know the (Biden) administration’s approach to permitting is dead wrong.″Manchin called Thursday’s vote “a step in the right direction” but said the measure likely