Manchin Surprised by McConnell’s Opposition to His Energy Permitting Legislation

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, presides over a hearing on battery technology, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he didn’t expect Senate Republicans, particularly Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), to oppose his energy-permitting reform legislation.

Manchin voiced his surprise about the GOP opposition in an interview with Fox News on Sept. 26, before adding that he was not surprised he wouldn’t have the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), one of the nominal Independents who often joined the Democrats in voting.

“I never did think I’d have Bernie and some of the extreme far left,” Manchin said. “What I didn’t expect is that Mitch McConnell, my Republican friends would be signing up with Bernie or trying to get the same outcome by not passing permitting reform.”

His bill (pdf) would speed up permits for clean energy, power grid, and fossil fuels projects, such as new natural gas pipelines. Additionally, the legislation would direct federal agencies to “take all necessary actions” to permit the construction and operation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project stalled by legal challenges that would deliver West Virginia’s natural gas to North Carolina and Virginia.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on July 26, 2022. Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

When asked whether McConnell’s opposition could be related to Manchin’s support for the “Inflation Reduction Act,” which President Joe Biden signed into law in August, the West Virginia congressman partially disagreed, arguing that some of the criticisms on the bill’s provision on a corporate minimum tax were mostly unfounded.

The Inflation Reduction Act, a $740 billion spending package, was largely negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Manchin behind closed doors. As part of the deal, Schumer agreed to get Manchin the votes for permitting reforms, following Manchin’s support for the massive reconciliation package.

Manchin’s negotiation with Schumer “engendered a lot of bad blood” among Republicans,  Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) previously said. “There’s not a lot of sympathy on our side for providing Sen. Manchin a reward for his flip-flop on the reconciliation.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has reportedly said she will support Manchin’s bill. However, Capito introduced a separate permitting bill known as the START Act earlier this month, which was co-sponsored by 46 Republicans.

“Senator Manchin’s infrastructure permitting ‘deal’ is not a real plan. @SenatorCapito’s SMART Act puts real text on the table and has broad support,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), one of the co-sponsors, wrote on Twitter on Sept. 21.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2023 budget for the FBI, at the US Capitol in Washington, on May 25, 2022. Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images

Manchin said his bill would allow energy firms to get their products to the market within one to three years instead of five to 10 years or longer.

“Now we have a piece of legislation that I’m sure doesn’t go far enough. For some, it goes maybe too far for others. So if you have both sides upset, maybe we have a pretty good balanced bill. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Manchin added.

Manchin said he had sided with Republicans on past permitting reform bills during his 12-year tenure in Senate.

“Every time there was permitting reform, I’d vote for it. I was the only Democrat. Now all of the sudden we got a majority of the Democrats, an overwhelming majority of Democrats, that will support a very balanced procedure forward,” Manchin continued. “Is it a perfect bill? No. Does it move the needle? Absolutely.”

He alluded to how Republicans used to praise him late last year for his opposition to Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

“You can be a hero one day and a villain the next,” Manchin said.

After Manchin announced that he wouldn’t vote for the Built Back Better Act, McConnell said he would “certainly welcome” the West Virginia congressman to join the Republican Party.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural motion on Sept. 27 to proceed with a government funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, to prevent a government shutdown. Manchin’s bill is to be included in the resolution.