What They Are Saying… Support for Barrasso-Manchin Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A broad group of outside stakeholders and issue experts have voiced support for the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), chairman of ENR. The bill secures future access to oil and natural gas resources on federal lands and waters, ends President Biden’s ban on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, and fixes the Rosemont court decision which threatens hard rock mining on federal lands. The bill also ensures that new transmission lines meaningfully improve electric reliability and actually benefit customers.
American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) CEO Anne Bradbury:
“In order for the American economy to compete on the global stage in the twenty-first century, we need to develop infrastructure projects that support the rising demand for energy. That's why AXPC is proud to support Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso's permitting reform bill, as it would end the Biden-Harris administration’s LNG export approval ban and streamline leasing and permitting for energy projects on federal lands.”
Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) COO and EVP Dan Naatz:
“IPAA applauds Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso for their collaborative effort in producing the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. After listening to the concerns and frustrations of users of multiple-use lands across the industry, Senators Manchin and Barrasso worked together to help reduce much of the unnecessary red tape that hampers independent producers operating on federal onshore and offshore lands. They have put forward a permitting reform package that will improve coordination, reduce permitting wait times, remove the LNG export ban, and restore certainty to the Gulf of Mexico leasing process….”
National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Rich Nolan:
“The status quo on mine permitting is no longer an option; the time to reform our permitting process is now. Our manufacturing sector’s ability to produce the consumer and energy goods America needs is currently tied to China’s willingness to continue to provide the materials that feed those supply chains. America is home to both abundant natural resources and the environmental, labor and safety laws to ensure they are produced responsibly. With our mineral and energy demands only growing, we need to unlock our domestic potential, and I applaud Senators Manchin and Barrasso for taking this important first step.”
Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) President Pete Obermueller:
“This legislation represents a significant step forward in ensuring that our industry can operate more efficiently, quickly and transparently. By addressing the issues of federal oversight, lease nominations, and fees, this bill supports responsible resource development and respects the rights of private landowners.”
American Exploration and Mining Association (AEMA) Executive Director Mark Compton:
“Our inefficient federal permitting system is a significant deterrent to attracting investment in the United States to explore for and develop strategic mineral resources, and it has resulted in the U.S. being increasingly reliant on foreign countries....Importantly, this legislation addresses the flawed Rosemont decision by providing much-need certainty that mineral projects can reasonably use federal land for mine support activities. We greatly appreciate the hard work of Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso to get to this point, and for their bipartisan leadership to elevate these important issues. The permitting reforms in this deal are a good start, and we look forward to working with both sides of the aisle to see they become law.”
Western Energy Alliance (WEA):
“Western Energy Alliance thanks Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso for permitting reform that enables access to more of the nation’s energy resources, particularly on federal lands, and helps to reduce energy inflation. Oil and natural gas require multiple federal approvals for everything from exploration and leasing to drilling, transportation, and export, and this bill reduces many points of bureaucratic delay and red tape. We are excited about this bipartisan effort to remove impediments to production and improve the delivery of energy to all Americans.”
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Erik Milito:
"There is broad and bipartisan consensus on the need to streamline permitting to expedite the development of vital infrastructure and energy projects without unnecessary delays. We welcome the introduction of the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 and commend Senators Manchin and Barrasso for their commonsense approach to energy policy.
American Petroleum Institute (API) Executive Vice President Amanda Eversole:
“At a time of persistent inflation, it’s long past time to fix our nation’s broken permitting system and unlock the domestic resources needed to meet rising demand for affordable, reliable energy. This legislation not only takes tangible steps toward a more transparent, consistent and timely permitting process, but also ends the administration’s misguided LNG export permit pause, strengthening American energy leadership while helping to reduce emissions worldwide. We applaud Senators Manchin and Barrasso for renewing bipartisan efforts to build the infrastructure needed for today and the future, and we call on Congress to take up this urgent priority.”
Center for LNG (CLNG) Executive Director Charlie Riedl:
“The Center for LNG (CLNG) supports the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. The legislation includes important provisions to provide regulatory certainty for large-scale U.S. LNG export facilities, ensures fact-based decision-making on future studies by the Department of Energy (DOE) around the economic and climate benefits of continued U.S. LNG exports, and incentivizes investments in U.S. infrastructure that are vital to our national interests and global climate goals….This bill would permanently end the Department of Energy’s devastating pause on U.S. LNG export authorizations. The U.S. LNG industry needs the regulatory certainty this bill provides, as project developers, suppliers, and buyers are and will continue grappling with the negative impacts caused by the U.S. LNG export authorization pause. CLNG urges support for the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024.”
USLNG Association (LNG Allies) President and CEO Fred Hutchison:
“The Manchin-Barrasso permitting reform bill ‘ticks all of our big boxes’ with regard to fixing the Department of Energy’s LNG decision-making process. Most importantly, it sets a 90-day shot-clock on DOE decisions, which would both clear the backlog of pending U.S. LNG export applications and prevent future administrations from imposing another licensing moratorium.”
U.S. Oil and Gas Association:
“The federal permitting process is horribly calcified - to the point of where obtaining a permit is an exercise in futility for any small business who wants to do work with the federal government. Now decades in the making, if this problem is not addressed it will make nearly 25% of the Nation’s entire oil and gas resources undevelopable. This legislation is a great first step forward to repairing that process. Thank you to Senators Barrasso and Manchin for the hundreds of hours of research and negotiation to get us here. The US Oil & Gas Association is proud to support the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024.”
Western States and Tribal Nations (WSTN) Energy Initiative President Andrew Browning:
“…This bill will help enshrine that spirit into law with concrete reforms that will serve America’s interests, those of our member states, provinces, and nations, and boost our ability to help our allies….We thank Senators Barrasso and Manchin for their comprehensive, bipartisan package of reforms built for the future of American energy, whatever form that may take. It’s especially important that sovereign tribal nations are given even greater control over their own energy resources, and that Western states will have greater certainty surrounding federal permitting and how federal land in their territory can be developed to their citizens’ benefit.”
Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association President Tommy Faucheux:
“The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 provides much needed permitting reform and certainty for the Gulf of Mexico energy industry. Oil and natural gas production in the Gulf should be a national priority. In Louisiana, we are proud to be the gateway to this American energy production. The current 5-year leasing plan for the Gulf of Mexico has an anemic number of lease sales. Thankfully this bipartisan legislation introduced by Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso seeks to increase the number of Gulf of Mexico lease sales, bringing the hope of long-term offshore production and jobs for Louisiana communities. The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association (LMOGA) applauds this effort and urges Congress to make this legislation a priority.”
