![Sens. Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)](https://i0.wp.com/thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/barrassojohn_capitolshelly_052621gn_lead.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1)
Key Senate Republicans on Thursday laid out their vision for how to speed up the approval process for energy and other infrastructure projects, but also signaled a willingness to work with Democrats to get bipartisan legislation across the finish line.
The new proposals, from Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), articulate a starting point for the GOP amid interest in working on the issue from both parties.
Two other recent proposals – a Democratic bill focusing on renewables and Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) introduction of his proposal from last year – have been issued in recent days.
Capito’s bill focuses on shortening the time it takes to approve a project and limiting legal challenges they may face.
Barrasso’s proposal focuses on specifically bolstering oil and gas as well as mining for coal and other minerals in addition to measures related to gas pipelines and electric reliability.
Republicans in Congress have long-lamented how long it takes to build out energy and other infrastructure projects, but congressional discussion of the issue was supercharged last year after Democratic leadership agreed to work with Manchin on the issue in exchange for his vote on the Inflation Reduction Act.
Last year, Manchin’s proposal ultimately flopped despite getting votes from seven Republicans.
One major sticking point between the parties has been provisions that aim to bolster the buildout of electric transmission lines, which are particularly important for getting more renewable energy onto the grid, though they could also bolster fossil energy.
Democrats have supported a provision that would allow the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve transmission lines that are deemed to be in the nation’s interest.
On Thursday, Barrasso and Capito expressed willingness to work with Democrats on the issue.
“I would say these are negotiating points in terms of what FERC’s role would be,” Capito told reporters.
But, Barrasso said that he opposes cost allocation provisions in Manchin’s prior proposal, saying he did not want “states like Wyoming subsidizing the energy that was going to California.” The lawmakers also said they had a meeting with their counterparts, Manchin and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), saying that all four want to move on the permitting issue.
While Capito and Barrasso said they did not have a specific timeline, they hoped to reach a deal over the summer.
“I think we can be a lot quicker here than what most people would think simply because we have been in negotiations for a long time on this,” Capito said. “I would hope we could get to something in the summer.”