Joe manchin climate change

Peter Dykstra: Joe the Bummer

No, not President Joe. Senator Joe Manchin holds all the climate cards in Congress. How did that happen?

When the Democrats gained their razor-thin control of the Senate, they made Senior Senator Joe Manchin Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.


Yes, the party that would fix the climate handed the keys over to Captain Coal.

Which is why it should not be a surprise to any sentient being that Manchin, not the Republicans, is President Biden's biggest obstacle to an infrastructure plan that aggressively pursues clean energy.

Climate change negotiating points 

When Manchin, then West Virginia Governor, ran to fill the unexpired term of the expired Robert Senator Robert Byrd in 2010, he famously aired an ad in which he literally shot a hole in a copy of a cap-and-trade emissions bill then under consideration.

Not quite a full-fledged climate denier, Manchin chose an interesting tack this year, joining with coal state Republican John Barrasso in urging President Biden to tackle the real climate killer: trees. Better forest management, they said in a June letter to the White House, could go a long way to curing our climate.

It's more bothersome that the climate and clean energy funds in the massive $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill may be there only as expendable negotiating points. So too, some say, are funds to correct the disgraceful state of lead in drinking water pipes.

West Virginia's Big Coal politics 

To understand Joe Manchin's role in all this requires a deeper dive into West Virginia politics. When Republican Shelley Moore Capito won her House seat in 2011, she broke a Democratic monopoly on West Virginia House seats. Now, all of the state's congresspeople are Republican.

With a lifetime 17% score on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental scorecard, Capito is middle-of-the-pack for Republicans. Manchin's 54% score puts him at the bottom of the Dems' pond. Both have been outspoken on PFAS contamination, since Parkersburg, West Virginia, is one of the nation's PFAS hotspots.

The state's current governor is quite literally larger than life. At six-feet seven and a lot of weight, Jim Justice is the state's only billionaire. You'll never guess how he made his money (coal!). Like Manchin and others, he's not convinced on all that climate science stuff.

In 2016, Justice switched parties, from Republican to Democrat, and won the governor's seat handily. He promptly switched back to the GOP. And in 2020, won reelection by a nearly two-to-one margin.

Have you figured out West Virginia politics yet?

Neither have I. Other than the permanent servility to Big Coal, there doesn't seem to be any.

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist and can be reached at pdykstra@ehn.org or @pdykstra.

His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate, or publisher, Environmental Health Sciences.

Banner photo: Sen. Joe Manchin (left) speaks to Navy Vice Adm. Michael M. Gilday, director of the Joint Staff. (Credit: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

Court gavel on a table in front of three small screens.

States press Big Oil to pay for climate damage as legal battles mount

As climate disasters drain public funds, lawmakers in 11 states are pushing to make fossil fuel companies pay for their share of the damage, despite fierce opposition from industry and federal officials.

Akielly Hu reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Smokestacks with pollution billowing from them.

Trump halts enforcement of key regulations, triggering legal concerns

President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to stop enforcing a wide range of regulations, a move that critics say may violate longstanding legal norms and endanger public protections.

Maxine Joselow, Hannah Natanson and Ian Duncan report for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Protester holding a sign saying Act Now or Swim Later.

Governments ramp up legal penalties to curb environmental protests

A growing number of countries are passing strict laws and imposing severe penalties on climate activists, escalating a global crackdown on nonviolent protests that target fossil fuel infrastructure.

Stuart Braun reports for Deutsche Welle.

Keep reading...Show less
A tornado in the distance with green farm fields in the foreground.

Tornado risks grow in the Southeast as drought shifts storms away from the Plains

Arkansas is emerging as a new epicenter for tornado activity as climate change, Gulf warming, and southwestern drought drive more storms eastward, researchers say.

Kenneth Heard reports for Kentucky Lantern.

Keep reading...Show less
A dark blue blimp or zeppelin with the words "good year" across the side in yellow.
Credit: Photo by Brian McCall/Unsplash

Zeppelins might be slow, but their comeback could move the needle on green aviation

In the race to cut aviation emissions, a handful of startups are betting on modern-day zeppelins to revive air travel’s slow, scenic, and sustainable past.

Nicolás Rivero reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Wastewater pipe with dirty water in the background.

Texas pushes fracking wastewater reuse, raising fears over liability and pollution

Oil companies in Texas want legal immunity as they promote treated fracking water as a solution to the state’s growing water crisis, despite warnings from scientists about gaps in safety data.

Carlos Nogueras Ramos reports for The Texas Tribune.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.