• In an effort to advance a must-pass funding bill, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin agreed to withdraw his proposal that would speed up permitting processes for the building of new energy projects.
• Lawmakers from both parties have criticized the Manchin proposal, with Republicans saying it didn’t go far enough to remove permitting hurdles to quickly build energy projects and Democrats arguing that speeding up oil and gas projects could risk damaging ecosystems and compromise the health of nearby residents.
• The announcement to remove Mr. Manchin’s proposal came just ahead of a planned vote on the short-term spending bill, extending current government funding levels until December 16th and preventing a partial government shutdown.
• Despite the setback, Mr. Manchin maintains that the legislation would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign energy sources, lower energy costs and help project developers bring much-needed electricity generation and transmission infrastructure online.

• The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is looking into the possibility of converting coal power plant sites to nuclear in a bid to boost the country's net zero drive.
• The DOE has released a report showing that hundreds of United States coal power plant sites could be converted to nuclear power plant sites, adding new jobs, increasing economic benefits, and significantly improving environmental conditions.
• After screening recently retired and active coal plant sites, the study team identified 157 retired coal plant sites and 237 operating coal plant sites as potential candidates for a coal-to-nuclear transition -- Of these sites, the team found that 80% are good candidates to host advanced reactors smaller than the gigawatt scale.

ENTACT, LLC (ENTACT), an Illinois-based provider of environmental remediation and geotechnical services and a portfolio company of investment affiliates of J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO), has acquired USA Environment, LP (USA Environment), a Texas-based environmental remediation and industrial services firm. The acquisition of USA Envrionment enhances ENTACT's capabilities and service solutions, while significantly expanding its customer base and presence throughout North America. USA Environment offers a suite of specialized capabilities that also includes unique solutions for radiological and naturally occurring radioactive materials ("RAD/NORM") for clients across a variety of end markets including public infrastructure, specialty chemical, manufacturing, energy, mining, and brownfield redevelopment.