20. The Manchin Bill and Mountain Valley Pipeline

Freeda Cathcart who is the Mothers Out Front Team Coordinator. We talk all about the Manchin Bill which is proposed by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin. It's a bill with an outline of tax, climate, energy, and healthcare measures that speeds up fossil fuel and clean energy projects. In the episode we will focus on its effects on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, MVP. Manchin’s bill includes a mandate for agencies to approve the contentious Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline project. Many Virginia communities have revolted against the venture. The pipeline, proposed will run through West Virginia, Virginia and a sliver of North Carolina, has had multiple permits repeatedly struck down since it was initially approved in 2017. It is now expected to cost more than $6 billion to complete, more than double the original cost estimate. The Manchin bill would move the legal venue for challenges to Mountain Valley from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia Circuit. The bill text also includes a provision imposing a two-year deadline on permitting reviews for major projects under NEPA, and one year for projects with less impact. With Freeda we talk about the work she does, the bill, the effects it has on the MVP, how the MVP effects communities and energy permitting provisions. Contact and connect with Freeda: [email protected] Voting: https://www.coxenterprises.com/cox-conserves/cox-conserves-heroes/vote/freeda-cathcart Manchin Bill: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/21/joe-manchin-energy-bill-fossil-fuels https://www.elliottdavis.com/whats-in-the-manchin-shumer-bill-on-taxes-climate-energy-and-healthcare/