Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) says attempts to eliminate fossil fuels will make climate change "worse"

[Celerity]

while condemning a key provision of the Democratic infrastructure bill.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/joe-manchin-condemns-anti-fossil-fuel-provisions-in-infrastructure-bill/ar-AAMdq0r

Manchin told CNN that he was "concerned" about language targeting fossil fuels shortly after attending a meeting discussing the plan with fellow Democrats on Wednesday. The moderate Democrat from coal-producing West Virginia, who has frequently been accused of obstructionism by progressives in his party, took issue with "the climate portion" of the $3.5 billion proposal.

"If they're eliminating fossils, and I'm finding out there's a lot of language in places they're eliminating fossils, which is very, very disturbing, because if you're sticking your head in the sand, and saying that fossil [fuel] has to be eliminated in America, and they want to get rid of it, and thinking that's going to clean up the global climate, it won't clean it up all," Manchin said. "If anything, it would be worse."

Democrats are hoping to push the bill through Congress and onto the desk of President Joe Biden using the Senate's budget reconciliation process. The strategy would allow them to pass the proposal without any support from Republicans. However, Manchin's approval of any such plan would be crucial since Democratic votes would have to be unanimous. The upper chamber is evenly split, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the power to break tied votes.

Despite Manchin's remarks, an overwhelming majority of scientists agree that eliminating fossil fuels could help to mitigate, not increase, the potentially devastating effects of climate change. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Manchin made similar comments to The Washington Post after Wednesday's meeting, while clarifying that he believes that working to eliminate fossil fuels could worsen climate change because "there won't be another country who will step to the plate to do the research and development that will fix the emissions that are coming from fossil right now."

snip


Manchin to Speak At Fundraiser Hosted by Oil Industry Leaders After Defending Fossil Fuels

https://headtopics.com/us/manchin-to-speak-at-fundraiser-hosted-by-oil-industry-leaders-after-defending-fossil-fuels-20967817

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-manchin-texas-republican-fundraiser_n_60f1cbbae4b00ef8761c23d0

[OnDoutside]

1. Obviously the fundraising is going well....

[SergeStorms]

8. At least from the coal and petroleum Corps.

Manchin is a winner for the fossil fuel industry. Those Petro dollars keep rolling in. Maybe we should invest in the future: coal powered automobiles.


But we're not supposed to complain about Manchin, because without him Mitch McConnell
would be majority leader, and Biden's agenda would be completely stymied.

Wait....... it already is completely stymied with Manchin on our side. Hmmmmm.....🤔

[OnDoutside]

17. It is what it is with Manchin. If he wants a carve out for fossil fuels,

then he can give a carve out for voting rights.

Without the VRA, you will have Republicans blocking any change for a decade or more. Get the VRA and Jan 2023 you can have hope to have 52 48 Democratic senate

[SergeStorms]

28. They're discussing infrastructure....

there's no way he's going to budge on the filibuster for the VRA, so that's dead in the water. Now he won't budge on the infrastructure bill, either. What the hell good is this guy? He's an obstructionist DINO who works for republicans better than he works for Democrats.

[OnDoutside]

29. No, it's drawn out absolutely but let's wait until the dust settles.

There's a deal to be done that will make a lot of WVers happy but he wants to satisfy his big oil donors too.

[GPV]

2. JFC!!!

[msongs]

3. one wonders what republicans get in return for campaign donations nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. The only possible way eliminating fossil fuels will make climate change "worse"...

is from the loss of the "global dimming" effect caused by particulates. But here's the thing: It's already "worse", and the global dimming effect is only masking the true severity of the problem (there was a 5C temperature anomaly in Siberia in Jan/Feb 2020 because of China shutting down factories because of covid).

[scarytomcat]

14. yes our problem is being masked and when we stop burning warming will rise

but we must get off fossil fuels soonest

[NickB79]

23. Like an alcoholic who gets withdrawal if he stops drinking

But is destroying his liver

[JohnSJ]

24. I don't know if he is even aware of the "dimming" effect, and as you said it already is here, and

the transition is not going happen overnight, which will moderate that effect as more clean energy comes into being

It has to be done globally, and the sooner we start to clean alternatives, the less impact global dimming will have during the transition

[SunSeeker]

5. What he is saying makes absolutely no sense.

He believes that working to eliminate fossil fuels could worsen climate change because "there won't be another country who will step to the plate to do the research and development that will fix the emissions that are coming from fossil right now."

What??

[FBaggins]

15. He's making the "clean coal" argument. Nt

[JohnSJ]

25. That is a myth, and the reality is in this country coal used to produce 90% of our energy, now it

Last edited Sun Jul 18, 2021, 11:18 AM - Edit history (2)

contributes 16%

The writing is on the wall, whether they see it or not, coal is not the future

[FBaggins]

27. No doubt

But that’s the argument he’s making.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. I understand his concern about "eliminating fossils".

Fossils like Manchin and McConnell should worry.

[gab13by13]

7. Maybe Democrats

should start a program of infiltrating the GQP by running fake Republicans? Just asking?

[Celerity]

9. the QMAGATs think we already did that

Lisa Murkowski (I am not joking when I say that one or both of Laura Ingraham and/or Sarah Palin are probably going to run against her)

Bill Cassidy

Susan Collins

Mitt Romney

Ben Sasse

Pat Toomey (not running)


and they argue over

Richard Burr (not running)

Thom Tillis


we may be be down, by 2026, to only Mittens left off that entire list, if we finally can beat Collins and Tillis (the rest, unfortunately will be replaced by far worse, unless we win the Burr seat and the Toomey seat)

[jalan48]

10. Joe makes it very clear who he is representing in the Senate.

[smirkymonkey]

11. Gee, I wonder what could have possibly influenced him to take this position?

[Scrivener7]

12. Manchin makes $500,000 per year from his coal company.

[BlueJac]

13. Ignorant and bought and paid for by fossil fuel industry.

Get big money out of politics,it will destroy this country for the ultra rich!

[DFW]

16. Which is why when flooding washes away ten towns in West Virginia

The fossil fuel industry will jump in and rebuild as well as provide for those families that lost all sources of income.

Right??

I didn‘t think so.

If the country were to enact a constitutional amendment that taker states could no longer take and giver states no longer had to give, how much longer would those in the taker states continue to send people to Congress who misrepresent a majority of the people who live there? (and I realize that Manchin is far from the worst in this respect).

[diane in sf]

18. He's a sociopathic koch head.

[sunonmars]

19. Bought and paid for by the coal and oil industries.

[Walleye]

20. Did he go to college?

[Lancero]

21. That's, uh... an interesting statement.

More half-connected thoughts than anything coherent.

Honestly, if the article didn't disclose who said that I'd have thought it one of Trumps rambles.

[dreamland]

22. WTH!? Is he a Republican plant?

Dumb.

[aocommunalpunch]

26. LMAO

If this approach to an issue came from anyone further left, the commentary wouldn't be anything close to saying there's nothing we can do but wait this guy out. They'd be attacked. The plot armor conservative Dems have is the stuff of legends.