Pirate's Cove

If Doing Something about the climate was just so darned important the climate cultists could put a stand-alone bill up for debate and a vote, but, no, they have to attempt to jam it in a huge, government dictatorial piece of legislation

Joe Manchin may have doomed American climate policy

On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) may have delivered a final blow to the United States’s best chance to take action on the climate crisis this decade.

Question: why can’t all the Warmists take action in their own lives? Think how much less “carbon pollution” there would be if they all gave up their fossil fueled, modern lives and went carbon neutral. Why is it necessary to force everyone to Comply while giving government even more dictatorial power?

After months of negotiations with the White House and Democratic leaders, Manchin announced on Fox News that he will be a “no” vote on the centerpiece of the president’s domestic agenda in its current form. That agenda — known as the Build Back Better plan — would have invested $555 billion in clean electricity, electric vehicles, and reducing methane emissions. Although the $1.75 trillion bill has already passed the House of Representatives, a no vote from Manchin would ensure the bill does not have a path forward in the Senate. That’s because Democrats were relying on a process that required 50 Senate votes to get it to President Joe Biden’s desk.

As Vox’s Andrew Prokop wrote, it’s possible that Manchin’s Sunday comments were just another negotiating tactic, and he could be convinced to support a revised version of Build Back Better that delivers on what he wants.

Doubtful. He knows BBB is bad for his state, bad for his constituents.

But if the bill truly is a goner, it will be much more than a political setback for the Biden agenda. It will be a colossal tragedy for the planet and future generations, which are depending on the US government to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels this decade with major legislation like this bill, to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The bill also contains funding for adapting to climate change and helping the most vulnerable communities; without it, the US will be far less prepared to face escalating climate disasters here at home.

Poll after poll after poll shows that Doing Something is popular in theory, but, when it comes to limiting their own lives and seeing their cost of energy, food, etc going up, it’s less than popular.

In a statement Sunday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) advocated for that path. “Major climate and clean energy provisions of the Build Back Better Act have largely been negotiated, scored for ten years, and financed,” he said. “Let’s pass these provisions now. We cannot let this moment pass.”

Ed is just one of plenty of Democratic congresscritters chiming in all sorts of upset, but, has anyone noticed that none of them are giving up their own use of fossil fuels, be it auto or airplane? There’s probably a handful or less who own an EV. How many could take the train instead of an airplane? How many live in big homes? Eat meat? And all the other things the climate cult hates? This is not about the climate, it’s 100% about political power.