Hundreds of climate protesters rallied in Washington, D.C., Thursday to demand lawmakers reject changes to how the federal government grants permits for oil and gas projects. The activists say the reforms would weaken environmental laws, limit court challenges to oil and gas projects and clear the way for new pipelines, including the proposed Mountain Valley fracked gas pipeline in West Virginia. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he agreed to the permitting reforms to win the support of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin for the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden has called the “biggest step forward on climate ever.” On Thursday, the White House said it supports the permitting reforms. Meanwhile, Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders took to the Senate floor to condemn what he called Senator Manchin’s “dirty side deal.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders: “We can listen to the fossil fuel industry and the politicians they pay, who are spending huge amounts of money on lobbying and campaign contributions to pass this dirty side deal, or we can listen to the scientists and the environmental community, who are telling us loudly and clearly to reject this side deal and eliminate the $15 billion in tax breaks and subsidies Congress is already providing to big oil and gas companies each and every year.”