March 03, 2022

Manchin: FERC's Actions Contribute To A 'Death By A Thousand Cuts' Of The Fossil Fuels That Are Critical To American Energy Reliability, Security and Independence

Manchin: Makes no sense at all for us to make ourselves energy vulnerable, especially when the world needs us now more than ever

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to review recent actions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relating to permitting, construction and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines and other natural gas infrastructure projects. During the hearing, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Committee, pressed the FERC commissioners on their reckless decision to add unnecessary road blocks to the permitting process for natural gas projects, roadblocks that harm our national security and further delay building out the energy infrastructure our nation desperately needs. 
Chairman Manchin then questioned the witnesses on whether FERC was elevating environmental considerations above American energy reliability, security and independence.

“[You all] acknowledge that no federal agency, including FERC, has established a threshold for determining what level of project greenhouse gas emissions is significant. Why do you all think FERC, whose primary purpose is to regulate efficient and reliable energy, should be the first agency to set such a standard, rather than environmental agencies?” asked Chairman Manchin.

Chairman Manchin also urged the federal government and the private sector to put politics aside and invest in our energy independence, such as with projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline, so that the U.S., working together with our allies, can put an end to Putin’s ability to weaponize energy against Ukraine and our NATO allies.
“I’m begging the major producers to make sure that the American people understand we’re going to shut off all fossil energy coming from Russia to the United States. We should do that to support the Ukrainians and to support the rest of the world so we don’t bankroll Putin’s wars,” Chairman Manchin said.

The hearing also featured testimony from all five current sitting FERC commissioners. To read their testimony click here.

To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s opening remarks, please click here.
To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s questioning, please click here.
To watch the hearing in full, please click here.