Biden sides with anti-energy left's war against infrastructure

Washington Examiner:

Joe Biden is signaling he would make it difficult for developers to obtain federal permits to build fossil fuel infrastructure such as pipelines and liquefied natural gas export facilities, delivering on a key priority of environmental groups.

“There is virtually unfettered discretion there, so long as procedural safeguards are observed,” said Glenn Schwartz, director of policy at Rapidan Energy Group, a consultancy firm.

As his chief tool to curb pipelines and LNG export terminals, Biden could require thorough and lengthy reviews to determine whether a project’s economic value is outweighed by its contribution to climate change.

Biden’s official plan to address climate change commits “that every federal infrastructure investment should reduce climate pollution" and requires “any federal permitting decision to consider the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.”

The threats are scaring the fossil fuel industry and its allies, who have already complained of lengthier development processes due to opposition from environmental groups. Activists have had success stymying projects in the courts, leading to complaints from industry that, despite a significant build-out of pipelines this past decade to serve the shale boom, there remain shortages in parts of the country such as the Northeast. Interstate natural gas pipeline developers have proposed $30 billion in new investment through 2025, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a sustainability nonprofit organization.

The latest legal threat to the industry could be addressed this week by the Supreme Court, which is weighing whether to grant or deny review of an appeals court's decision blocking developers of the PennEast pipeline from condemning state-owned land. Industry officials and analysts say that decision could give states effective veto power over natural gas pipeline
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Blocking pipelines is not intelligent.  Doing so will mainly result in alternative transport of fossil fuel by means that is not as safe.  The belief that it will result in greater acceptance of alternative energy projects is illusory.  Alternative energy is not suitable for transportation, and it is not dependable enough to be the sole source of electricity.  It is unable to scale to meet demand and it will result in disasters when dealing with extreme weather.   Biden is not a smart guy, to begin with, and his energy policies would be an absolute disaster for America and also make the country less secure.