The partisan response to new draft legislation from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) could spell trouble for efforts to pass broad permitting reform in the lame-duck session.

The measure is meant to set the ground for a bicameral effort to pass major reform legislation after the November elections, a goal shared by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and key industry leaders who say that existing processes ensnare valuable energy projects — both for fossil fuels and clean technologies — in delays and litigation.

The problem, environmental advocates argue, is that Westerman’s draft proposal ⏤ which was considered in committee this past week and is seen as complementary to Manchin’s bipartisan Senate legislation ⏤ essentially guts the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA, as it is known, is a bedrock environmental law requiring the federal government to evaluate the environmental effects of major actions and decisions by agencies. Their opposition could endanger support from Senate Democrats for an eventual combined bill.