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Manchin's Latest and Last Run at Promoting Fossil Fuels through a Permitting Reform Bill
(legal-planet.org)
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Summary (it’s a really long article) (obligatory Manchin is an asshat intent on speeding up global climate destruction)
Justin Pidot criticizes Senator Manchin’s new permitting reform bill, negotiated with Senator Barrasso, as a harmful proposal for climate and environmental justice. The bill, aiming to expedite the permitting process for renewable energy projects, includes provisions that heavily favor the fossil fuel industry, such as mandating extensive oil and gas leasing and limiting federal authority over these activities. Pidot argues that these concessions undermine efforts to combat climate change and disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities.
While the bill does include some positive measures to improve grid reliability and transmission efficiency, Pidot finds these overshadowed by its extensive support for fossil fuels. He also highlights a concerning statute of limitations provision that significantly reduces the time frame for legal challenges to 150 days, compared to the more reasonable two years under the FAST-41 framework. This change, Pidot contends, would unfairly burden communities without adequate resources to monitor and respond to federal decisions.
Pidot suggests that if Congress must alter the statute of limitations, it should adopt a two-year period, mandate public notices, and ensure projects are listed on a centralized dashboard. However, he asserts that these changes alone won’t redeem the bill, which fundamentally promotes fossil fuel extraction at the expense of climate goals and environmental justice.