Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) will vote in favor of the agreement between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to raise the debt ceiling, despite a provision expediting the completion of an interstate natural gas pipeline in Virginia that has driven other Democrats to oppose the plan.
The legislation directs swift completion of the West Virginia-Virginia Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is largely constructed but whose completion has been repeatedly held up in court. The rest of the Democratic delegation from Virginia, including Warner's Senate colleague, Tim Kaine (D-VA), pledged to push amendments removing the pipeline provision from a finished bill.
DEBT LIMIT DEAL: WHERE IT STANDS AND WHAT IS STILL TO COME
Warner also opposes the pipeline language in the debt ceiling bill, his office said Wednesday, but will support it nonetheless.
"While Senator Warner opposes the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, he does not support defaulting on our nation’s debt. He plans to vote for the bill," a spokesperson said.
Warner's office did not say whether he will support Kaine's amendment.
Congressional override of outstanding permits and litigation holding up the pipeline has been in the ether for months as Congress debated how to reform federal environmental permitting processes to speed the construction of projects subject to federal reviews, such as interstate pipelines and electric transmission lines.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) was the first to include MVP approval in a permitting reform bill last September. The Senate voted on Manchin's bill in December, but it failed to pass.
Warner voted in favor of the Manchin bill, while Kaine and eight other Democrats joined most Republicans in opposing it.
Republicans broadly support new fossil fuel infrastructure, but a number have opposed the pipeline's unilateral approval as part of broader federal permitting reform, wary of giving one particular project special treatment.
Many Democrats, however, strongly oppose the construction of new pipelines and fossil fuel projects, driven by environmental concerns and an intent to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-NM), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, pledged Wednesday to vote against the debt ceiling bill, which he said "threatens our climate goals by mandating approval of the disastrous Mountain Valley Pipeline."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Environmental groups have been lobbying members to vote with Grijalva due to the pipeline provision, as well as other reforms within the deal that are designed to streamline environmental review processes.
Protests are planned to take place outside Warner's various district offices on Thursday to encourage him to support Kaine's amendment, according to Appalachian Voices, a group involved in litigation against the pipeline.