WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement after voting in favor of an amendment introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) that would have added bipartisan, comprehensive permitting reform to the broader National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment failed this evening by a vote of 47-47.

“Tonight, I voted in favor of legislation to address our nation’s permitting process, support U.S. energy security, and hasten the transition to a clean energy economy. The Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law provided unprecedented investments in clean energy technologies like solar, onshore and offshore wind, advanced nuclear, and energy storage. In order to maximize these investments and hit our climate goals, we must ensure states, localities, businesses, and other stakeholders have the ability build these energy projects and connect them to the grid. While I have strong concerns about the process through which this bill was drafted, and oppose the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, I voted in favor of this amendment because we desperately need to revamp our nation’s permitting process to pave the way for the future of clean energy. I will continue working with my colleagues to enact sensible reforms that will protect our energy and economic security while respecting the concerns raised by communities impacted by infrastructure projects.”

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