Lol you think an election may have been legitimate!!!
But in all seriousness there is still a chance a good amount of West Virginians think he is still a "blue dog" democrat and believe that still means something.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has proposed a permitting reform bill that is a prime example of what not to do. Instead of focusing on permitting reform, Manchin’s bill proposes to nationalize the electricity grid.
The Manchin bill proposes cosmetic changes that give the impression of reform yet would do little to address numerous obstacles created by the National Environmental Policy Act, which became law in 1970. The bill also would make permitting projects more difficult by expanding some aspects of the Clean Water Act.
The bill would empower the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to designate and approve transmission line projects as “necessary in the national interest,” and to socialize costs in electricity rates across a region—regardless of whether a state uses the electricity. Unsurprisingly, the criteria for a “national interest” designation are so broad that any project enjoying political support could qualify.
It’s a clever, back-door approach allowing the Energy Department and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bypass states. By controlling transmission line projects, they could force utility customers to pay for more wind and solar power.
When it comes to the Clean Water Act, the Manchin bill would make federal permitting more difficult in many respects. The Clean Water Act requires permits for discharges of pollutants from point sources (i.e. discrete sources of pollution, such as pipes) into navigable waters. Under the statute, and specifically Section 401, Congress gave states a role in the permitting process to help protect water quality. A permit may be issued only upon a state’s issuing (or waiving) a Section 401 water quality certification.
The bill would amend the Clean Water Act, codifying a policy in the Biden administration’s proposed Section 401 rule, to allow states to use the certification process to block projects based on issues totally unrelated to discharges of pollutants. Further, the bill likely would help provide support for the Biden administration’s effort to expand these Section 401 certification reviews to cover water quality effects that are unrelated to navigable waters or point sources. Lawmakers should reject Manchin’s bill and certainly not consider it, or any permitting bill, in the lame-duck session before the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Policy reforms of such importance shouldn’t be rushed, especially when legislators are least accountable to voters. . Source: dailysignal.com
Manchin is terrible, I can’t believe West Virginia legitimately voted him in.
Probably not. All these elections need a second look. The whole thing is a shit show.
Lol you think an election may have been legitimate!!!
But in all seriousness there is still a chance a good amount of West Virginians think he is still a "blue dog" democrat and believe that still means something.
Why Congress Should Reject Manchin’s Permitting Bill and Enact Genuine Reform in 2023
https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/11/30/why-congress-should-reject-manchins-permitting-bill-and-enact-genuine-reform-in-2023/
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has proposed a permitting reform bill that is a prime example of what not to do. Instead of focusing on permitting reform, Manchin’s bill proposes to nationalize the electricity grid.
The Manchin bill proposes cosmetic changes that give the impression of reform yet would do little to address numerous obstacles created by the National Environmental Policy Act, which became law in 1970. The bill also would make permitting projects more difficult by expanding some aspects of the Clean Water Act.
The bill would empower the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to designate and approve transmission line projects as “necessary in the national interest,” and to socialize costs in electricity rates across a region—regardless of whether a state uses the electricity. Unsurprisingly, the criteria for a “national interest” designation are so broad that any project enjoying political support could qualify.
It’s a clever, back-door approach allowing the Energy Department and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bypass states. By controlling transmission line projects, they could force utility customers to pay for more wind and solar power.
When it comes to the Clean Water Act, the Manchin bill would make federal permitting more difficult in many respects. The Clean Water Act requires permits for discharges of pollutants from point sources (i.e. discrete sources of pollution, such as pipes) into navigable waters. Under the statute, and specifically Section 401, Congress gave states a role in the permitting process to help protect water quality. A permit may be issued only upon a state’s issuing (or waiving) a Section 401 water quality certification. The bill would amend the Clean Water Act, codifying a policy in the Biden administration’s proposed Section 401 rule, to allow states to use the certification process to block projects based on issues totally unrelated to discharges of pollutants. Further, the bill likely would help provide support for the Biden administration’s effort to expand these Section 401 certification reviews to cover water quality effects that are unrelated to navigable waters or point sources. Lawmakers should reject Manchin’s bill and certainly not consider it, or any permitting bill, in the lame-duck session before the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Policy reforms of such importance shouldn’t be rushed, especially when legislators are least accountable to voters. . Source: dailysignal.com