ppl v FF coalition

=an comm dr 12 22Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he intends to force a floor vote as soon as this week in a bid to ram through Sen. Joe Manchin's fossil fuel industry-friendly permitting bill, a ploy that climate groups and progressive lawmakers condemned and vowed to defeat.Schumer's (D-N.Y.) planned maneuver, which he <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/senate-to-vote-on-manchins-permitting-overhaul/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">confirmed</a> to reporters Tuesday, amounts to a last-ditch attempt to salvage legislation that has thus far <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/07/joe-manchin-legislation-energy-fast-track-democrats-defense-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">failed</a> to garner sufficient support to pass Congress. The <a href="https://www.energy.senate.gov/2022/12/manchin-releases-permitting-text-and-urges-colleagues-to-support-mvp-and-permitting-amendment-to-ndaa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">permitting bill</a> has also drawn <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/750-groups-blast-manchin-ploy-to-include-dirty-deal-in-defense-bill-2022-12-05/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">sustained and furious protests</a> from environmentalists, who <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/05/groups-warn-pelosi-schumer-against-allowing-manchin-dirty-deal-pentagon-spending" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">warn</a> the measure would expedite climate-wrecking fossil fuel projects—including Manchin's favored Mountain Valley Pipeline—and weaken bedrock environmental laws."This is abhorrent," the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition <a href="https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1602769781773717506" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">wrote on Twitter</a> in response to Schumer's plan. "We've stopped this TWICE now because it sells our communities and planet out for fossil fuel profits. If you haven't already, please take a min to call your senator and ask them to vote against this: 888-997-5380. We cannot afford any more fossil fuel projects."Schumer said Tuesday that Manchin's proposal—which climate advocates have labeled a "dirty deal" and a "fossil fuel wish list"—will receive a floor vote as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sprawling legislation that is set to authorize <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/08/war-industry-celebrating-christmas-early-house-passes-858-billion-ndaa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">nearly $860 billion</a> in military spending.Schumer and Manchin have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/07/climate/manchin-schumer-pipeline-political-funding.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">received large donations</a> from a major utility giant and pipeline firms that would benefit from passage of the West Virginia Democrat's plan, which critics say <a href="https://prospect.org/environment/permitting-reform-decoy-ramping-up-natural-gas-manchin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">uses the cover of permitting reform</a> to advance regulatory changes long sought by the fossil fuel industry."We're gonna vote on that amendment," the Democratic leader <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/senate-to-vote-on-manchins-permitting-overhaul/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">told</a> reporters Tuesday. "As you know, Republicans have blocked it in the House, even though permitting reform is something that they've always supported in the past. So I hope they'll help us."What Schumer didn't mention is the significant opposition from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/09/09/72-house-democrats-tell-pelosi-keep-manchins-dirty-deal-out-must-pass-legislation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Democratic lawmakers</a> in both the House and Senate. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who <a href="https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/chemical-safety-waste-management-environmental-justice-and-regulatory-oversight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">chairs</a> an environmental justice and regulatory oversight subcommittee, made clear he would vote against the latest effort to revive Manchin's proposal."I cannot vote for a deal that cuts community non-profits out of the environmental reviews, further burdens frontline communities with toxic fossil projects, runs a fossil gas pipeline over every existing environmental law, and rigs the court system to boot," Merkley said Tuesday, referring to a provision in the bill that <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/manchin-permitting-deal-could-handcuff-courts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">legal experts say</a> would likely result in more favorable rulings for pipeline developers."We need improved permitting for renewable energy projects," Merkley added, "but this is not the way to do it."<div id="8b7fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6b9e459f6e11b179299a44de809b5988" style="color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="rm-embed-container rm-embed-twitter rm-loaded rm-off" style="position: relative; max-width: 550px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="rm-embed-holder" style="height: 100%; width: 100%; display: contents; align-items: start; position: relative; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 550px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" /></div></div></div>[twt]it's unclear whether Manchin's bill stands a chance in the upcoming Senate floor vote, with key Republicans including Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/senate-to-vote-on-manchins-permitting-overhaul/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">pledging to vote no</a>.In September, Manchin—who has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/09/13/manchin-calls-big-oil-ceos-help-ram-through-dirty-deal-backlash-grows" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">enlisted the help</a> of oil and gas CEOs—was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/28/manchin-senate-permitting-reform-00059152" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">forced to withdraw</a> his permitting legislation after it became obvious it would crash and burn in a vote on the Senate floor.Manchin, the top recipient of fossil fuel industry campaign donations in Congress, suffered another defeat earlier this month when Democratic leaders dropped their initial plans to attach his legislation to the NDAA."The zombie dirty deal to fast track fossil fuel projects—like the destructive Mountain Valley Pipeline—is raising its ugly head again," Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRaulGrijalva/status/1602781545449807872" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="color: rgb(11, 13, 101); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a> Tuesday in response to Schumer's comments. "100+ [environmental justice] orgs have spoken. The House has spoken. No one wants this deal.""It's time to let it go for good," Grijalva added.=