| Autumn has officially arrived. Congress has returned to Capitol Hill but will just as quickly depart as Election Day draws near. As of the drafting of this newsletter, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has pulled his highly anticipated permitting reform proposal off the table to avoid the threat of a government shutdown. The temporary funding bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that Manchin was trying to attach permitting reform to must pass by September 30 to avoid a shutdown, but members of both parties were unhappy with the deal. A government shutdown just as voters are heading to the polls for an election that will decide which party controls both chambers of Congress is never a good look. We at ConservAmerica were disappointed Tuesday when we heard that Manchin’s proposal had been scuttled. Permitting reform is a priority for us and many other conservation organizations. The issue should be a priority for every American. The United States currently has some of the world's highest construction costs for infrastructure projects due mainly to its regulatory review and approval processes. We remain optimistic that the Senate will make reforming the federal permitting process a priority in the 118th Congress regardless of which party controls the chamber. If you missed our original blog post on Manchin’s permitting reform, you can catch up here. In better news, Roosevelt Conservation Caucus members Rep. David McKinley and Rep. Buddy Carter have introduced the Ocean Restoration Research and Development Act, a bill that could lead to major advances in carbon sequestration and restoration of fisheries. Earlier this year, we conducted a webinar on this issue, which you can view here. Furthermore, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on S. 3571, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2022 (Good Sam), this week. Good Sam would limit liability provisions under the Clean Water Act that have hampered cleanup efforts by conservation and other Good Samaritan organizations. We submitted a letter of support for the record, which you can read here, and in case you missed it, you can read our Op-Ed on Good Sam here. Learn more about removing barriers to cleaning up abandoned mines by watching our webinar here. And now it’s time for the fun stuff. Fall might mean cooler weather and shorter days, but it also brings great opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting, and a whole host of other outdoor activities. We’d love to see what you all are up to, so when you post your photos to Facebook, be sure to tag us (@conservamerica), and we can share them. Looking for more resources on recreation opportunities near you? The Fish and Wildlife Service has some great information on its site to help you figure out all the details on where to hunt, fish, camp, and hike. And with that, we’re closing the office for the day and heading outside. Enjoy the cooler weather and changing leaves, be safe, and have fun! Until next time. |
