This opinion piece from TWW’s Steve Handy originally ran in the Deseret News on September 7, 2024 and can be accessed here.
When you think about the economy of rural America, it’s natural to focus on agriculture. But there is more to the story. For example: Farming and ranching communities also have a proud history of energy production — and the importance of this economic activity is rapidly growing.
From oil and natural gas to renewables and next-generation nuclear, rural America is a magnet for energy investment and jobs. But the continued growth of energy production as a “cash crop” for farmers and ranchers is under threat.
The problem is infrastructure. Just as crops and livestock cannot be shipped to market without highways and railroads, the energy produced in rural America needs power transmission lines and other forms of transportation infrastructure to reach consumers in the cities and suburbs.
But as a nation, we aren’t expanding this infrastructure fast enough to keep up with demand. In one infamous case, a recently approved transmission line project — which would connect electricity producers in Colorado and Wyoming to consumers in Nevada and California — was stuck in the federal permitting process for 15 years before getting the go-ahead.
Thankfully, though, a new bill introduced by Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia offers a clear path forward.
The bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act builds on past efforts to streamline the red tape surrounding major infrastructure projects — efforts which held great promise, but have so far fallen short.
For example, the Barrasso-Manchin bill attacks the problem of junk lawsuits from activist groups. Such lawsuits can delay the final approval of project permits for years and, in some cases, pressure investors and developers to walk away from a proposed project completely.
The two lawmakers have proposed a 150-day deadline from the approval of a permit for outside groups to file their lawsuits, and an accelerated schedule for the courts to hear and rule on those lawsuits. In cases where the court sends a permit back to a federal agency for additional study, the Barrasso-Manchin bill also sets a 180-day deadline for a final decision.
Streamlining the litigation connected with federal permitting review will help energy projects of all kinds — from oil and gas drilling to wind farms and solar arrays to the construction of power transmission lines.
The permitting reform bill also includes specific measures for speeding along transmission line projects that cross state lines. These reforms will build stronger connections between the rural communities where electricity is produced and the urban communities where most electricity is consumed — and improve the reliability of the overall power grid.
Additionally, the Barrasso-Manchin bill includes specific measures for the oil and natural gas sector, reflecting their “all-of-the-above” approach to energy policy.
If passed, the permitting reform bill would give the U.S. Department of Energy a 90-day deadline to approve or deny applications for exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) after completing required environmental reviews.
Exports of U.S. LNG have played a crucial role in supporting the economies of European democracies ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But in an effort to please extreme anti-oil and gas groups, the Biden administration imposed a “pause” on future permitting approvals.
This doesn’t just send the wrong signal to our NATO allies — it also threatens real environmental harm by reducing future shipments of U.S. LNG, which is much cleaner than coal or natural gas produced in other countries, to Japan, South Korea and other Asian nations.
The 90-day deadline in the Barrasso-Manchin bill would effectively bring the LNG pause to an end, boosting our nation’s security interests, supporting jobs and investment in oil and gas producing communities and increasing the world’s access to a clean energy source.
Rural communities deserve better than endless red tape. They are ready to produce the energy needed to power our nation, help our allies and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
There is no excuse for inaction, even in the middle of a hotly contested election year. If our leaders are serious about promoting unity instead of division, Congress should move as fast as possible to approve the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act.
Steve Handy is a former Utah legislator and the Utah director for The Western Way, an organization focused on market-competitive solutions to environmental and conservation challenges.