"Senator Joe Manchin III said he was opposed to legislation that includes climate action designed to keep the planet from dangerously overheating."
"WASHINGTON — The declaration from Senator Joe Manchin III that he cannot support his party’s $2.2 trillion Build Back Better bill has significantly dimmed the prospects for the climate action that scientists say the United States must take to avert the most catastrophic effects of global warming.
Mr. Manchin, who first expressed his opposition in an interview on Fox News Sunday, released a follow-up statement that took aim at the climate and clean-energy provisions in the bill, saying they “risk the reliability of our electric grid and increase our dependence on foreign supply chains.”
As the swing Democratic vote in an evenly split Senate where all Republicans are opposed to the legislation, Mr. Manchin is in the unique position of deciding whether the bill can pass.
News of his opposition alarmed environmentalists. “I don’t think we can tackle the climate crisis at the scale that’s necessary without passing this law,” said Leah Stokes, an environmental policy professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has been advising Senate Democrats."
Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport report for the New York Times December 19, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"Manchin’s Opposition To Build Back Better Bill Undercuts Biden’s Climate Agenda" (Washington Post)
"Dems Scramble, Seethe After Manchin Kills Climate Bill" (E&E News)
"‘Not The End Of The Road’: Greens Defiant As Bill Collapses" (E&E News)
"Manchin Burns Climate Package. What Happens Now?" (E&E News)
"What Losing Build Back Better Means For Climate Change" (NPR)
