The Mountain Valley Pipeline was behind schedule and over budget after years of spirited opposition from environmental activists. The developer of the project, NextEra Energy, warned in February that there was a low probability of completion.
The hold on the Democrats' climate agenda was held by Senator Joe Manchin III.
The agreement to back the Biden administration's historic climate legislation came about because the senator was promised something in return: not only support for the pipeline in his home state, but also expedited approval for infrastructure nationwide.
It was a big win for the industry that has quietly become a supporter of Mr. Manchin.
The Center for Responsive Politics reported that natural gas companies have increased their contributions to Mr. Manchin from just $20,000 in 2020 to more than $331,000 so far this election cycle. Mr. Manchin has received more money from the natural gas industry this year than any other lawmaker.
NextEra Energy is a top donor to both Mr. Manchin and Senator Schumer. The data shows that Mr. Schumer has received a lot of money. Mr. Manchin has received more than $10,000 from Equi Trans Midstream. The owners have spent a lot on lobbying.
Sign up for the Climate Forward newsletter Your must-read guide to the climate crisis.The fossil fuel industry's behind-the-scenes spending and deal-making has shaped a climate bill that still stands to be transformational, according to the disclosures. The final reconciliation package, which cleared the Senate on Sunday, allocates almost $400 billion to climate and energy policies, including support for cleaner technologies like wind turbine, solar panels and electric vehicles, and puts the United States on track to reduce its emissions of planet-warming gases by roughly 40 percent
The Mountain Valley Pipeline will help bring down energy costs, shore up American energy security and create jobs in West Virginia, according to a spokesman for Mr. Manchin. According to an official in Mr. Schumer's office, the deal was only included at the insistence of Sen. Manchin.
A spokeswoman for Equitrans said the company maintained a high standard of integrity. She wouldn't say if Equitrans pressed either of the senators. NextEra Energy didn't reply to questions.
Major environmental groups as well as progressives in Congress have applauded the legislation despite concessions. Senator Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, called it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for the country to act on climate change.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline deal has highlighted the economic and social tensions in a region where extractive industries have produced jobs in coal mines and on drilling rigs but have also left behind scars on the land.
For years, environmental and civil rights activists as well as many Democratic state lawmakers have opposed the project, which would carry more than two billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from West Virginia and through southern Virginia Environmental groups have successfully challenged a number of federal permits in court, where judges have found the developers' analyses about the effects on wildlife lacking.
There is a proposal. Senate Democrats proposed a $369 billion climate and tax package in July. Key provisions are listed here.
The auto industry is large. There is a cap on the number of cars that can be eligible for tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle. The tax credit will be extended until 2032 and used cars will be eligible for a credit of up to $4,000.
The energy industry is important to us. Billions of dollars in tax credits for Americans who buy energy efficient and electric appliances and for companies that build new sources of emissions-free electricity are included in the bill. $60 billion would be set aside for clean energy manufacturing in the US. Businesses would be required to pay a financial penalty for methane emissions that exceed federal limits.
Communities with low incomes. Over $60 billion would be invested to support low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Grants for zero-emissions technology and vehicles, and money to mitigate the negative effects of highways, bus depots and other transportation facilities are included.
The industry is made of fossil fuels. The bill would require the federal government to auction off more public lands and waters for oil drilling. These provisions were added in order to get the support of Senator Joe Manchin III.
West Virginia is located in the United States. The bill would make permanent a federal trust fund to support miners with black lung disease and give incentives for companies to build wind and solar farms in areas where coal mines are located.
Russell Chisholm is an Iraq war veteran and a member of Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights, a coalition of groups that oppose construction.
He was with his neighbor, Jammie Hale, who held up a jar of water. It was thick with silt that Mr. Hale suspected was caused by the construction along the route of the natural gas line. Men have clashed with the police. They talked under the flag that Mr. Hale had hung upside down.
The bill could help if it was used to benefit working people and poor people. They have been negotiating behind the scenes. We were not at the negotiating table.
He said that there was a tendency to write off the region as a red state.
The Democrats have made concessions to fossil fuels. The climate bill requires the federal government to auction off more public lands for oil drilling in order to get more renewable energy sources. Tax credits for carbon capture technology could allow coal or gas-burning power plants to keep operating with reduced emissions.
Mr. Manchin secured pledges for a follow-up bill that would make it easier to greenlight energy infrastructure projects and make it harder to oppose them under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The provisions could encourage further construction of gas-burning power plants and other fossil fuel infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods, which are already disproportionately hosted by these industries and have less resources to negotiate with developers.
Crystal said that people who are just trying to survive don't have the time to attend hearings and meetings. As she swept floors, she listened in on local hearings on her earbuds and found time to support sit-ins in trees in Elliston to stop workers from falling them. Even as she cleans houses, she is now a community leader.
She said the mountains are supposed to have trees. People say this is a good deal, but at what cost.
There has been a dramatic change in the industry's fortunes. Natural gas prices were depressed for a long time due to the coronaviruses epidemic. Prices have gone up as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. economic recovery.
Europe is looking for ways to wean itself from Russian gas and natural gas export terminals are one way to do that. As the United States takes steps to add more renewable sources of energy, natural gas and oil remain the bedrock of the US economy.
The governor of West Virginia has called on the Biden administration to include all forms of energy. He said that the country needed to be energy independent. If it were, we would be better off. The governor of Virginia, a Republican, said that the pipeline is important to his state.
There are other benefits that the legislation would bring to the state. Incentives for building wind and solar farms in areas where coal mines or coal plants closed would be offered under the proposal.
David Owens, a retired local firefighter, said after filling up his S.U.V. that it would help if he looked to the future. He said that opponents were only stalling the inevitable. The thing is going to happen.
It is not clear how the deal will work. The agreement requires federal agencies to take all necessary actions to allow the construction and operation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The District of Columbia Circuit would have jurisdiction over all future legal challenges under the terms of the agreement.
The Fourth District overturned permits issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service because their analyses were flawed. In a part of the country with a lot of wetlands, it has been difficult for the project to get approval to cross them.
Any change in legal jurisdiction mandated by Congress was ridiculous according to Joseph M. Lovett, an attorney at the legal nonprofit.
We are a country of laws. He said, "If rich people can pay to get a better day in court, that's just corruption."
Mr. Manchin believes that fossil fuels will be needed. He has taken more campaign cash from the oil and gas industry than any of his colleagues have.
The chairman of the Senate energy committee, Mr. Manchin, has attracted more donations. Some of the major companies that have made contributions are Enterprise Products Partners, Energy TransferLP, Plains All AmericanPipeline and Williams Companies.
David Seriff looked out on Saturday from Brush Mountain, which is half a mile from his house. The thick pipe has been exposed on the ground for a long time. He doesn't come out much anymore because he hates to see it.
Congress has taken action on climate. He said that the Democrats and people who say they are environmentalists are ready for the project.
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