Privately, Democrats are scrambling to produce something big that can win Manchin's vote. “There are some things he doesn't agree with - clean electricity is one of them.” “I hope that there are areas - I think there are areas - where we can find some agreement,” Durbin told reporters. Majority Whip Dick Durbin said Tuesday he was unsure of how the party-line bill would treat climate change. Many Democrats remain doubtful that they'll ultimately be able to get Manchin on board with the scale of climate investments they want. A United Nations report this summer, dubbed a code red for the planet, found a 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming already baked in since the pre-industrial era due to burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. Worsening scientific warnings of climate change's toll are driving the urgency among the Democratic rank-and-file. She added that “I think he will support some of the other provisions, maybe not to the extent” that his Democratic colleagues want. But there are about $300 billion in other provisions,” Sen. “I’m disappointed he’s not agreeing to the biggest game-changer for climate change. Other desired climate action provisions include a methane fee and massive investments in energy efficiency improvements. They also want to fund a civilian climate corps to deploy young people in environmentally friendly projects. The biggest bulk of emissions reductions they envision would come from tax credits to help deploy wind, solar and other clean energy sources, as well as electric vehicles. He went on to say that because of a rise in emissions worldwide and continued construction of power plants outside the U.S., the Senate has “got to find an answer for carbon capture in some way, shape or form.” Currently, carbon capture technology is expensive and unproven to work at the scale necessary to put a meaningful dent in the nation's emissions footprint.īeyond the $150 billion proposal to pay utilities to transition their energy sources and punish utilities that do not, dubbed the Clean Energy Performance Program, Democrats want to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into addressing climate change in their bill. “The bottom line is, and I’ve been saying from day one: Innovation, not elimination.” Criminy,” Manchin said of whether he wants a strong climate component. So I’m going to quit talking.” But later, when approached in the Senate basement, Manchin rebuffed any suggestion that he’s trying to sink the climate change component of his party's bill. After his conversation with Heinrich, Manchin initially demurred: “The more I talk, the more everyone gets pissed off. Manchin is aware of how sensitive the issue is for his colleagues. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) of the state of talks with Manchin. But it’s also just part of negotiation,” said Sen. Whatever Democrats can get through Congress on climate will be far more durable than anything Biden can do through executive action, so lawmakers are determined to convince Manchin now, before they could lose their majorities. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who spoke privately with Manchin after his declaration on Tuesday that the carbon tax was “off the board.”ĭemocrats don’t have a lot of time to continue debating as Biden and party leaders seek an agreement with Manchin by the end of the month. Manchin has to balance the fact that he may have certain opinions, but he also has a responsibility as a chairman in the Democratic caucus, of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” said Sen. Now, there’s enormous pressure on Democrats to get Manchin on board with what could be Democrats’ only chance in a decade or more to enact consequential climate policies. Though he is endorsing some lower-tier clean energy investments, those fall far short of the two big ideas his colleagues have championed: a program encouraging utilities to cut emissions and a carbon tax. Manchin is reluctant to embrace anything that could significantly disadvantage West Virginia’s gas and coal industry. And some progressives are reiterating they won't support any bill that doesn’t have a strong climate component. Biden and Democrats are trying to clinch a deal on Biden’s larger social spending bill, but the climate plank has become a serious question mark due to Manchin. Joe Manchin is hearing a dire pitch from his colleagues: Don’t blow our chance to save the world.Īfter Manchin rejected a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s climate plan and rebuffed a separate carbon tax Tuesday, Senate Democrats are urgently pressing their West Virginia colleague for an alternative.
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