Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Manchin's permitting reform bill is dead for now
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Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia, Third Way Think Tank/Flickr ([link removed])

Senator Joe Manchin removed his permitting reform language from must-pass legislation to fund the federal government yesterday, clearing the funding package's passage ([link removed]) in the Senate. The move came after he dropped language ([link removed]) in the bill regarding the Clean Water Act in a move to get more Republicans on board with the bill. Still, Manchin came up short in the Senate, in part due to a push by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to sway Republicans to instead support a permitting reform bill filed by the other senator from West Virginia—Republican Shelley Moore Capito.

While it's likely Manchin will continue to push for expedited energy project permitting, it's unclear how he will be able to get it passed in the closely divided Senate, where a 60 vote majority is needed to pass most legislation. That's because anything he does to appease Republicans in the Senate could doom the bill to fail in the House ([link removed]) , which is dominated by Democrats who are opposed to permitting reform that would help the fossil fuel industry. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz told the Washington Post ([link removed]) yesterday that the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act is the “most likely next viable vehicle” for Manchin's bill. However, Senator James M. Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said he opposes
([link removed]) including permitting reform in the defense bill.

Still, permitting reform enthusiasts aren't giving up. The White House said yesterday ([link removed]) that it still “supports Senator Manchin's plan” and will “continue to work with him to find a vehicle to bring this bill to the floor and get it passed and to the President’s desk.” Capito is similarly committed to getting permitting reform through Congress. “This issue is so important that, I think, getting people to the table, we can forge a bipartisan compromise,” she told Politico ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Outdoor voters are a growing lobbying force in D.C.
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Manchin pulls permitting reform from federal funding bill
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Politico ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Bloomberg ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Federal funding package includes $2.5 billion for wildfire victims
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Las Vegas Optic ([link removed])


** USGS report outlines threats to sagebrush sea, proposes plan
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** Rangely, Colorado turns to outdoor recreation as fossil fuel revenue slows down
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Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** Opinion: How the U.S. came to protect the natural world—and exploit it at the same time
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Report: Compared to oil and gas, offshore wind is 125 times better for taxpayers
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Grist ([link removed])


** Bears Ears monument management planning is underway. Here's how to get invovled
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Land Desk ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Knowing all of the science in the world is not going to save the sage grouse unless we act on it.”

—Greta Anderson ([link removed]) , deputy director of Western Watersheds Project
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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Hello from Oregon's Table Rock Wilderness! 🍁⛰️🥾😎🌲

Just about 2 hours south of Portland in the western Cascade foothills, the Table Rock Wilderness is a terrific outdoor escape for hiking and backpacking. Here, visitors can experience solitude while hiking through the forests of Douglas fir and Western hemlock, and view the Willamette Valley and Mount Rainier from the 4,900-foot summit of Table Rock.

Alt Text: Blue sky over mountains and trees in Oregon's Table Rock Wilderness

📸 Rooster Rock within the Table Rock Wilderness; BLM

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