Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced an amendment to the debt ceiling agreement scrapping a provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Kaine strongly opposed the inclusion of the MVP in the bill and has kept the possibility of voting against the debt limit deal on the table if it remains or his amendment to nix it doesn't receive a vote.
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“I support improving the permitting process for all energy projects. But Congress putting its thumb on the scale so that one specific project doesn’t have to comply with the same process as everyone else is the definition of unfair and opens the door to corruption," Kaine declared in a statement.
Given the tools senators have to potentially delay fast-track consideration of bills, Kaine has been closely watched as the Senate gears up to consider the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. A top grievance of his in the matter is that he wasn't consulted about MVP's inclusion.
"I urge my colleagues to join me in righting this wrong. Otherwise, with this dangerous precedent, they may find themselves in a horrible position down the road: Congress taking their constituents’ land because more powerful companies have the political juice to think they can get away with it," Kaine added.
His colleague, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), came out in favor of the debt ceiling deal but is backing Kaine's amendment.
"While I plan to vote for the bipartisan deal @POTUS negotiated in order to avert a catastrophic debt default, I oppose the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline and will support @TimKaine's amendment to remove it from the bill," Warner tweeted.
While I plan to vote for the bipartisan deal @POTUS negotiated in order to avert a catastrophic debt default, I oppose the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline and will support @TimKaine's amendment to remove it from the bill.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) June 1, 2023
It remains unclear if the amendment will receive consideration. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has underscored his aversion to sending the bill back to the House given the rapidly-approaching June 5 projected deadline for when the government will run out of cash to meet all its obligations.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), notably, has championed the measure. The pipeline stretches for over 300 miles between northwest West Virginia and southern Virginia to move gas. Over 94% of the project has been completed already, but it has been bogged down in litigation and permitting setbacks.
“There’s not been a pipeline that has ever been suggested or possibly built in America that has ever gone through the scrutiny that the MVP has," Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, noting he disagrees with Kaine.
Liberals and environmentalists have railed against the MVP portion of the bill, which coincided with other tweaks to the permitting process and the National Environmental Policy Act.
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Several Democratic and Democrat-aligned senators have come out in opposition to the debt limit bill, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). There are roughly a dozen Republican senators who have also declared opposition.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 cleared the House in a 314-117 vote Wednesday, with 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats on board. The Senate is expected to take up the matter this week. The bill suspends the debt ceiling until early 2025 in exchange for a bevy of spending growth reductions and other reforms.