WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today issued the following statement on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022:

“The agreement on energy project permitting reform was an essential part of getting the Inflation Reduction Act, and its historic climate and environmental justice provisions, enacted into law.

“At the request of Leader Schumer, my staff and I have been consulting with Senator Manchin and his team on this permitting legislation to help ensure that it supports clean energy investments, upholds essential environmental protections, and is consistent with the permitting provisions in current law for transportation and other forms of infrastructure.

“On the whole, I believe that this legislation does just that and is critical to deploying the significant energy and transmission investments that Congress has made in in the past year. That’s not to say that I’m pleased with everything in this legislation released today – notably, I’m disappointed to see that the bill contains provisions to streamline permitting for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

“But I intend to uphold my end of the deal that made it possible for us to pass the largest climate investment in history. So, I’ll be supporting the permitting reform legislation moving forward and I will continue working to make sure it safeguards critical protections for our environment and our health, and aids our ability to meet our nation’s climate and energy goals.”

More information about the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022 can be found here.