With new, bipartisan legislation, Senators Manchin and Barrasso hope to expedite the approval process for energy projects. 

Senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso introduced bill aimed at speeding up the permitting process for energy and mineral projects in the United States. A number of important recommendations are made by the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 for speeding up approval procedures while maintaining ethical guidelines.

With the exception of Indian lands, the Act aims to do away with the requirement for Department of the Interior (DOI) permits for hydrocarbon drilling in non-federal lease areas where the federal government holds less than 50% of the resources. The measure requires at least one lease sale every year for offshore oil and gas from 2025 to 2029.Similarly, it requires the DOI to offer a minimum of 400,000 acres per year for offshore wind leases, with smaller areas not meeting the requirement.

Additionally, the bill calls for expedited decisions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export applications based on previous economic and climate reviews unless new assessments are completed. This move aims to counteract the Biden administration's temporary halt on such exports to non-free trade agreement countries.

Senator Manchin emphasized the need to modernize the permitting system to bolster economic growth and energy security, highlighting concerns over outdated regulations stifling progress. In contrast, Senator Barrasso underscored the bill's role in securing future access to federal energy resources and ending what he described as detrimental export bans.

While the American Petroleum Institute (API) praised the bill for addressing inflation and supporting domestic energy needs, the Sierra Club criticized it for potentially accelerating fossil fuel projects at the expense of environmental reviews and clean energy investments.