Schumer, Manchin Agree on Speeding Clean Water Act Permits (1)

The side deal to the climate agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) includes a compromise that would change the way states issue Clean Water Act permits, potentially making it easier for developers to build pipelines, according to a draft text reviewed by Bloomberg Law.

Schumer and Manchin have agreed to tweak section 401 of the Clean Water Act to require states to make a decision within one year of a certification request—either to grant it, grant it with conditions, deny it, or waive certification. Section 401 gives states and tribes the power to ...