Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Joe Manchin, king of coal, is killing the Democrats’ effort to pass meaningful legislation on climate change. For the last few months, the party’s leadership had been negotiating with the Senator from West Virginia to figure out what it would take to get him to sign on for new government spending to address the climate crisis. Asked to do something — anything — that could help the country cut down its emissions, Manchin, who made millions selling the dirtiest burning fuel source around, said no, according to the Washington Post.
Democrats have been negotiating a new spending bill that would tackle a number of major issues facing the country, with few more pressing than the climate crisis. According to the New York Times, the Biden administration was looking to secure funds to offer new tax credits to consumers who are buying electric vehicles, create incentives for wind and solar power expansion, and push power plants to clean up pollution. Manchin said no to all of the above, and has reportedly decided he will not give his vote to any economic package that includes climate spending or new taxes.
