House Passes Bill To Speed Federal Permitting For Natural Gas Pipelines

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted 213 to 184 to pass legislation aimed at speeding up federal permitting for interstate natural gas pipelines. The bill would designate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency for pipeline permitting reviews.

Under the legislation, FERC would be allowed to weigh water quality assessments as part of its environmental review instead of waiting for separate Clean Water Act certifications from states, Reuters reported.

Supporters say state-level certifications have often delayed pipeline approvals for years. The bill is titled the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act. It is one of several measures in Congress aimed at accelerating federal permitting processes.

Another bill, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, also passed the House with bipartisan support.

Lawmakers have made broad permitting reform a priority as they seek to expand energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand.

That demand has grown in part due to the rapid expansion of data centers across the country.

Supporters of the legislation also argue faster permitting could help reduce household energy costs.

FERC is traditionally made up of five commissioners who are nominated by presidents and confirmed by the Senate.

The agency has approved most natural gas pipeline proposals that have come before it in recent years.

“These bills help unlock the infrastructure America needs to meet growing demand for affordable, reliable energy,” American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said in a statement.

The Senate is pursuing a separate effort to reform energy permitting that would be broader than the bills passed by the House.

Senate lawmakers are focusing on changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, which governs environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects.

That effort would include reforms related to upgrading electric transmission lines.

A bid by a single left-wing lawmaker to impeach President Donald Trump again failed on Thursday, as nearly two dozen Democrats joined Republicans in voting to block the effort.

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) triggered action on two articles of impeachment late Wednesday by introducing a privileged resolution, a procedural tool that requires the House to take up a measure within two legislative days.

On Thursday, Republicans moved to table the resolution — a step that effectively halts consideration of the impeachment articles. The motion succeeded with bipartisan support, ending the effort, Fox News reported.

Twenty-three Democrats joined Republicans in voting to set aside the impeachment measure. A substantial bloc of Democrats also voted “present,” including all three members of the party’s leadership team: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

“Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law and violating the public trust. The effort traditionally requires a comprehensive investigative process, the collection and review of thousands of documents, an exacting scrutiny of the facts, the examination of dozens of key witnesses, Congressional hearings, sustained public organizing and the marshaling of the forces of democracy to build a broad national consensus,” the trio said in a statement explaining their vote.

“None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. Accordingly, we will be voting ‘present’ on today’s motion to table the impeachment resolution as we continue our fight to make life more affordable for everyday Americans.”

The final vote fell 237 to 140, with 47 “present” votes, Fox noted.

Among the Democrats who voted to table the measure are Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Josh Riley, D-N.Y., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Sharice Davids, D-Kan., Don Davis, D-N.C., Shomari Figures, D-Ala., and others, said the outlet.