WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Congress is close to getting permitting reform done.
Hickenlooper has been supportive of the Senate’s Energy Permitting Reform Act, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-West Virginia and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming. The bill is meant to reform how energy projects, both transmission- and development-related, are approved. The bill could also help energy transmission and development in Western Colorado.
The permitting reform bill would simplify the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authority to allow interregional transmission projects that could save two to five years on approval, according to the bipartisan policy center. The bill would also speed up development of clean energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal energy. However, the bill also offers lease sales for oil and gas.
Kathy Fackler, a Durango based lobbyist for Citizens Climate Lobby, said the bill is meant to be a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. She said Republicans have made concessions with clean energy development, while Democrats have made concessions with expedited reviews for leasing natural gas.
However, in November, Hickenlooper said House Republicans have not been happy with the compromises.
“I think the House was largely – not perfectly – largely satisfied with the framework of the old deal,” Hickenlooper said.
Fackler said she met with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s office virtually to discuss getting permitting reform through by the end of the year.
“I hope it can get across the line and if it doesn't, we're going to be back Jan. 3, when they open up again and we're going to get this thing through, because America needs it and it’s been too long in the mix,” Fackler said.
Fackler said permitting reform would also make it easier to develop energy projects on public lands, which Western Colorado has an abundance of.
“In the West, it's kind of hard to make a long transmission line without hitting public lands,” Fackler said. “So if you want clean energy, we need more transmission. And if you want transmission, you're going to need to fix the process by which they're sited.”
Wendell Koontz, a Delta county commissioner who has worked in geology, mining and permitting for 30 years, also supports the Senate’s permitting reform bill. He said he has had firsthand experience working on energy projects that take more than a generation to get approved.
“It is entirely unacceptable for projects to go through permitting review that last decades,” Koontz said. “With my work in the mining industry, I've seen coal leases go for a dozen years or worse.”
Koontz said solar energy is commonly developed on public lands in Western Colorado.
Fackler said it would be best for Congress to act now because Republicans have a wide agenda for the beginning of the next Congress.
“It's going to be hard to make a better deal, so why not just take the win now?” Fackler said. “You know, they have an aggressive agenda for next year, so let them focus on other things.”
Maria Tedesco is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at mtedesco@durangoherald.com.
