“I think it’s well past 50%” that the legislation will be signed into law, Manchin said in an interview published Oct. 15. He predicted President Donald Trump would sign it, arguing that both parties had worked hard on the agreement and that Republicans could make the case for its importance.

The proposal is intended to make it easier to expand the nation’s electric grid, prevent administrations from blocking certain projects and loosen deadlines for federal environmental reviews. Those changes could affect how quickly energy infrastructure is built and how much time agencies have to assess projects’ potential impacts.

Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat-turned-independent who left the Senate, spent years pushing for permitting changes but was unable to secure a deal in two earlier attempts. He urged current negotiators not to let the pursuit of a perfect agreement derail a workable one.

Permitting reform, once largely a Republican priority, has become a bipartisan goal as lawmakers debate how to build energy infrastructure more quickly. The agreement’s passage is not assured; Congress would still need to approve legislation and send it to Trump.