Washington, D.C. – In response to Senator Manchin’s release of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022  the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and Virginia LCV released the following statements:

“After seeing the publicly released bill text, we continue to oppose this permitting rollback because it would prioritize fossil fuel interests over the environment and the health of impacted communities, which are disproportionately communities of color and low wealth communities,” said Matthew Davis, Senior Director of Government Affairs at League of Conservation Voters. “The NEPA process is not to blame for project delays. The billion-dollar investment in the Inflation Reduction Act to improve environmental review and deepen public engagement is an evidence-backed way to achieve better projects more quickly that does not perpetuate environmental racism. We also join our colleagues in Virginia in strong opposition to the agreement in this bill to approve the fracked methane gas Mountain Valley Pipeline that would pose unacceptable risks to communities, especially low-income, elderly communities that live along the pipeline’s path, as well as Indigenous and Black communities that would be impacted by the pipeline’s proposed extension, and threaten water quality.”

“At a time when we need to be doing everything we can to secure a clean energy future, the Mountain Valley Pipeline would take us in the wrong direction, undermining the very tangible progress on climate action that Congress has taken in recent months,” said Michael Town, Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “The MVP is billions of dollars over budget, years behind schedule, and lacks the permits it needs to proceed because it’s a flawed project and shouldn’t be built. Congress shouldn’t break precedent and change the rules for this pipeline or any other particular project. That’s bad policy and bad for the communities in Southwest Virginia already dealing with the environmental degradation the MVP has already forced upon them.”

In recent weeks, LCV also expressed opposition to the leaked deal via a joint letter with NRDC and Climate Power to the full House and Senate and a press statement from the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform.

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