Central Wyoming News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered remarks at a business meeting to consider S.4753, the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024.

Last week, Senator Barrasso and Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), chairman of ENR, introduced the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 to strengthen American energy security by accelerating the permitting process for energy and mineral projects in the United States.

Senator Barrasso stated: “Well thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for holding today’s business meeting. This morning, we are going to consider S. 4753 – the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024.”

“This is a bipartisan bill that Chairman Manchin and I have negotiated – with input from members of this committee – over the last year,” he continued.

“The bill is a targeted set of consequential reforms within the committee’s jurisdiction,” said Barrasso. “It is going to boost American energy and mineral production. It will help lower costs for American families.”

He added that it would also "strengthen our economic and national security and the security of our allies around the world."

“Our bill will guarantee future access to oil and natural gas resources on federal lands and waters," Barrasso noted. "It will permanently end President Biden’s reckless ban on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports."

“It will fix the disastrous Rosemont decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” he mentioned, emphasizing its importance in ensuring new transmission lines improve electric reliability.

Barrasso highlighted specific provisions such as requiring annual oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico from 2025 through 2029, each offering at least 60 million acres.

“Our bill permanently ends President Biden’s so-called ‘pause’ on new American LNG exports,” he asserted, claiming that this pause benefited Russia and Qatar.

The proposed legislation mandates that LNG export applications be acted upon within 90 days by the Secretary of Energy or be deemed approved if no action is taken.

Regarding critical minerals on federal lands, Barrasso stated: “It fixes the Rosemont decision by authorizing mill sites on federal land whether or not that land has minerals.” He argued this would eliminate legal strategies blocking access to minerals for nearly three decades.

On electric transmission issues, Barrasso followed three principles: improving electric reliability without more subsidies while benefiting states, customers, and landowners.

“Our bill eliminates the Secretary of Energy’s authority to designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors,” he said, replacing it with requirements for developers to show improvements in electric reliability to FERC.

The legislation also prohibits FERC from allocating costs to customers who receive little benefit from new transmission lines while mandating consideration of quantifiable customer benefits during rulemaking processes.

“I want to thank Chairman Manchin and his entire staff for their patience and perseverance,” Barrasso concluded. “Despite expectations...we have put together what I believe is a very strong piece of legislation before us.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”