For decades, New York has lived with the devastating consequences of ill-conceived highway projects, which destroyed vibrant communities and exposed generations to toxic vehicle pollution — all because there was no environmental review process to protect vulnerable communities.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have worked to heal these wounds through environmental justice initiatives. However, a dangerous bill threatens to repeat these mistakes by sacrificing predominantly Black, Brown and low-income neighborhoods for the sake of planet-warming fossil fuel production. Much to our alarm, Schumer, Jeffries, and other members of the New York delegation appear to be considering it.
The so-called Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin and John Barrasso, tempts members of Congress by promising tools to expand the electric transmission system. They see this expanded transmission capability as critical for delivering wind and solar power from where it’s generated to where it’s needed. However, the bill alarmingly rips away the reasonable amount of time that affected communities would have to learn about, review and oppose projects, including harmful fossil fuel projects.
The Manchin-Barrasso bill is a gift to fossil fuel corporations. It would destroy community input and review for new fossil fuel infrastructure, slashing the statute of limitations for challenging permits from six years to just five months — a window so short that many affected communities and tribal nations may not even learn about dangerous projects in time. The bill would also fast-track approval for seven pending liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, sending massive amounts of U.S. gas overseas.
The economic burden of the Manchin-Barrasso bill would fall heavily on consumers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has shown that increased natural gas exports lead to higher domestic energy costs, which would strain all of us, especially low-income New Yorkers.
The bill would also come with a devastating human cost. The seven pending LNG export projects are concentrated in Gulf Coast communities of color in Texas and Louisiana, where cancer and asthma rates are already elevated. Pollution from these additional facilities will cause an estimated additional 2,500 deaths and $30 billion in health costs.
By requiring the Department of Energy to approve LNG export applications within 90 days — or to approve them automatically — this bill rubber-stamps these projects regardless of the public health consequences. The climate impacts would be equally catastrophic, with LNG provisions alone generating annual emissions equivalent to 153 coal-fired power plants.
Nearly 700 consumer, legal, and environmental organizations oppose the bill because it removes crucial safeguards that protect people from corporate overreach and environmental injustice. The bill would curtail the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which ensures community voices are heard in federal decisions affecting their neighborhoods. NEPA currently protects communities from harmful urban planning projects, and research shows that proper community engagement actually reduces litigation for clean energy projects, debunking industry claims that environmental reviews delay progress.
NEPA review has improved the quality of numerous projects that have shaped New York. Just look at congestion pricing. Thanks to NEPA review, New Yorkers can count on the project delivering a $20 million asthma treatment center, the electrification of the Hunts Point Market, $10 million for new air filtration systems in impacted schools along highways, $25 million to invest in much needed parks and greenspace, and much more. Simply put, NEPA works, and it shouldn’t be dismantled.
Fortunately, there are smarter, more just alternatives to the Manchin-Barrasso bill. A Department of Energy analysis shows that advanced conductors and grid-enhancing tools could unlock up to 100 gigawatts of system capacity — enough to meet electricity demand for the next decade. This approach buys time to advance long-term solutions like the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act, which supports clean energy infrastructure while protecting community input and environmental justice.
Schumer and Jeffries both have long-standing commitments to healing the wounds of New York’s past, which should continue to guide them to protect frontline communities, public health, and our climate future. Schumer and Jeffries must reject the Manchin-Barrasso bill and champion equitable clean energy solutions that unite rather than divide us. The stakes are too high to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Horner is the executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). Shepard is co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
