McConnell opposes energy measure in U.S. Senate stopgap funding bill

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell urged his caucus to reject a stopgap government funding bill due for a vote on Tuesday due to an energy-permitting proposal contained in it, putting pressure on Democrats to drop that provision.

President Joe Biden’s Democrats, who control both chambers of Congress, are expected to avoid an embarrassing partial government shutdown just six weeks before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.

The bill, a continuing resolution known as a “CR” which would extend overall government funding through Dec. 16, was facing resistance because of an energy permitting reform measure.

McConnell called on his fellow Republicans to reject the measure if it came to a vote with add-on legislation from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin to reform energy permitting.

“If the Senate votes today on proceeding to a bill that has this partisan poison pill jammed into it, I’ll be voting ‘no’ and I would urge all my colleagues to vote ‘no’ as well,” McConnell said in a floor speech.

“The path is obvious: drop the extraneous partisan language and let the bipartisan CR move forward.”

If the Senate blocks consideration of this two-pronged bill, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi were expected to promptly retool the measure to ensure quick passage of the spending components and keep the government fully operating.

The spending provisions include $12.3 billion in new money to help Ukraine turn back Russia’s invasion, House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro said in a statement.

This includes military and economic assistance. In addition, it authorizes Biden to direct the drawdown of up to $3.7 billion for the transfer to Ukraine of excess weapons from U.S. stocks.

In early September, Biden requested $11.7 billion in military and economic aid.

Amid reports of Russian forces threatening the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and Russian President Vladimir Putin hinting he might use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, the legislation would appropriate $35 million “to prepare for and respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in Ukraine,” according to a bill summary.

Congress has resorted to this kind of last-minute temporary spending bill in 43 out of the past 46 years due to its failure to approve full-year appropriations in time for the Oct. 1 start of a federal fiscal year, according to a government study.

MANCHIN’S PERMITTING BILL A BARRIER

Manchin had pressed Democrats to include his measure to speed up the government’s permitting process for energy projects.

Manchin’s proposal would speed approvals of fossil fuel projects like pipelines but also for electricity transmission lines needed to bring power from wind and solar farms to cities.

The proposed legislation includes permitting reform provisions and directs $250 million from the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act to “improve and accelerate reviews for designated projects,” including the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Manchin’s home state of West Virginia.

But lawmakers from both parties opposed it.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he had not been included in Manchin’s negotiations on legislation speeding up government consideration of Equitrans Midstream (NYSE:) Corp’s Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).

Kaine noted the project would run through Virginia “for 100 miles and takes property from landowners.” He added, “We should pass a continuing resolution that is free of the unprecedented and dangerous MVP deal,” outlining a possible plan if the Senate votes to stand in the way of the bill as currently written.

Some Democrats and environmentalists also are opposed, fearing it would spark more development of fossil fuel projects at a time when the effects of climate change from carbon emissions are accelerating.

While Republicans normally favor quicker government reviews of fossil fuel projects, they have been angry at Manchin since he helped Democrats pass a bill this summer addressing climate change and lowering some healthcare costs.

“Now for the Republicans to balk, whether it be about politics or I really don’t know why, but I’m hoping that at least 15 or 20 come to their reasonable senses” and support the bill, Manchin told CNN.

Also included is a five-year renewal of Food and Drug Administration user fees being collected from drug and medical device companies to review their products and determine whether they are safe and effective, the bill summary showed.

The law authorizing the collection of fees expires on Friday.

The last time Congress allowed funding to lapse was in December 2018, when Democrats balked at paying for then-President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall, leading to a record, 35-day impasse and partial government shutdown.

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