For different reasons, Members of Congress in both parties have put off the permitting reform essential to reach our renewable energy future.

As millions in Florida face the wrath of our warming oceans in the guise of Hurricane Ian, Inside EPA is reporting that enough Democrats and Republicans opposed Senator Manchin's proposal to streamline the permitting of energy projects that he has waived the white flag for now. 

Some thought the proposal went too far.  Others thought it didn't go far enough.  But no one can credibly argue that we can timely make the changes to our energy infrastructure necessary to complete our transition to renewable energy without streamlining the permitting of energy infrastructure projects, and the inevitable litigation that follows that permitting.  Senator Manchin's proposal was a meaningful, albeit likely inadequate, step in the correct direction.  

Now it seems like Congress won't act until at least 2023 and there's certainly no guarantee it will act then.

In the meantime, climate catastrophes continue, the supply of the cleaner energy we want continues to be inadequate, and the list of renewable energy projects mired in permitting or NIMBY litigation grows longer.

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