Senate Democrats found themselves once again thwarted by Joe Manchin (D-WV) as the moderate announced he does not support the clean energy and climate related provisions in the reconciliation bill. His vote is a must-have in the 50-50 split on the Senate floor.
“If we make a real commitment on the climate front and we pay for it by making big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, that’s going to help us,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA).
This March, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said the world will need 5.2 TW of solar power generation capacity by 2030, and 14 TW by mid-century, to have any chance of limiting global average temperature rises this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a critical threshold in limiting the worst effects of climate change.
Manchin told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) he “unequivocally” won’t support a reconciliation package that includes climate and clean energy provisions, according to a Democrat briefed on the conversation.
This is not the first time Manchin has single-handedly blocked legislation that is designed to address the ongoing climate crisis. Last December, he shocked Democrats as he did not vote to pass the Build Back Better bill. Now, he blocked the reconciliation bill, much to the chagrin on climate-focused Democrats.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat my disappointment here, especially since nearly all issues in the climate and energy space had been resolved,” said Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR). “This is our last chance to prevent the most catastrophic — and costly — effects of climate change.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Manchin’s decision to hold back his vote “sabotaged the president’s agenda.” Sanders pointed to Manchin’s connection to the fossil fuel industry as a concern. “This is a guy who is a major recipient of fossil fuel money … a guy who has received campaign contributions from 25 Republican billionaires,” he said.
While Sen. Manchin said his focus is on helping families who are struggling with healthcare costs and inflation, Democrats and renewable energy advocates argue his move will only make life more costly for the average American, who would benefit from a stable supply of low-cost clean energy.
“Last night’s report that climate provisions and tax incentives for residential renewable energy will be stripped from the reconciliation bill is a major defeat for millions of American households who want to reduce skyrocketing utility bills, build healthier communities, and protect our climate,” said Residential Renewables for All, a coalition of environmental justice advocates.
“The passage of 25D refundability would have allowed all families, regardless of their income level, to make the switch to an affordable and green energy solution. This commonsense provision would have helped combat inflation, helped working families make ends meet, and helped respond to the climate crisis. Failure to pass it is as reckless as it is disappointing,” said the group.
“Manchin represents the very wealthiest people in this country, not working families in West Virginia or America,” Sanders added.
Executive action
President Joe Biden stated his office will now take further executive action to address the climate crisis.
“If the Senate will not move to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, I will take strong executive action to meet this moment. My actions will create jobs, improve our energy security, bolster domestic manufacturing and supply chains, protect us from oil and gas price hikes in the future, and address climate change. I will not back down: the opportunity to create jobs and build a clean energy future is too important to relent,” wrote Biden.
Last month, the Biden administration began taking strides to support clean energy buildout and combat climate change. Executive action was taken to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA), which has wide implications in its applicability. It will specifically be used to boost domestic production of solar panel parts including modules and module components, insulation for buildings, efficient electric heat pumps for heating and cooling, equipment for making electricity-generated fuels, including electrolyzes, fuel cells, and related platinum group metals, and critical power grid infrastructure like transformers.
Image: 02 EMC
Image: Department of Energy
The Act will encourage strong labor standards, including agreements for project labor and community benefits that ensure prevailing wages are paid and a quota of local hiring is met.
Concurrent with the invoking of the DPA, the White House announced it will apply super-preference to the US solar manufacturing industry. Master Supply Agreements will be put in place to enable domestic clean electricity providers to sell products to the US government rapidly and efficiently. Such agreements standardize contracts, making them easier to administer, and supporting transparent quality control for all parties involved.
It also enacted the use of “Super Preferences”, which apply domestic component content standards for federal procurement of solar projects.
The White House said these actions combined will pave the way for 10 GW of solar procurement over the next decade by the United States government alone. In cooperation with local and state governments and municipal utilities, the administration said the actions will make a potential market impact of as much as 100 GW over the next decade.
It remains to be seen what further actions the Biden Administration will take, and how the DPA will be administered. As the reconciliation package remains locked up by Manchin, executive action may serve as the main legal remedy for the United States to address the ongoing struggles with costly energy and climate change.
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Senator Manchin – brought to you by the Fossil Fuel Industry. I’m sure they’re saving a nice cushy lobbying job for him when he leaves the Senate. They’re scared of solar and wind energy because they know it’s becoming more economical by the day. Clean, renewable energy will win in the end and digging and drilling and burning coal, gas, and oil will thankfully be a thing of the not-so-clean past.
Aha, battery powered airplanes are next and plastics from…uh…umm…cellulose. And no more steel or alloys using carbon.
Everyone with an EV, battery powered boats and ships, tractors and harvesting equipment.
Don’t think so.
There’s still time to get global warming models right and temper expensive climate over reaction by “throw more money at it” governments.
Fossil fuels will be around for hundreds of years me thinks, and carbon synthesized plastics from wood will provide what we need forever.
https://renewable-carbon.eu/news/plastic-from-wood/
Nuclear will play a much bigger role as well, and with breeders, ensure endless nuclear energy supplies for 4-billion years.
https://www.science.org/content/article/use-too-hot-climate-models-exaggerates-impacts-global-warming
I disagree wholeheartedly abut “expensive climate over reaction”. How about the hottest July in Europe’s history or perhaps what is happening to Lake Mead ( actually the whole long term drought in the western USA) ?
The problem with “waiting until we global warming models right” is that by then it may be too late.
And for that matter, does it have to be 90% of the scientists who are certain (we have more than that that now) Does it have to be 98% of scientists? Or perhaps 100% of scientists?
172 years of thermometer records since 1850 shows WEATHER variability, NOT climate change in the multi-100,000 year timeframes of past glaciations.
https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/global-and-european-temperatures
A 1°C rise over the last 100 years is nothing compared to multiple 16°C up and down swings over the last 800,000 years with no fossil fuels, airplanes, cars, trucks or power plants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_temperature_record#/media/File%3AEPICA_temperature_plot.svg
Meanwhile, sea levels rose and fell over 100 meters (350 ft) as many times.
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/node/1505
Hand enviromaniacs’ wringing friction is its most likely cause along with John Kerry’s private jet.
I’d put as much trust in today’s emotionally politicized climate forecasts as Poor Richard’s Almanac that farmers relied on on for the weather when planting next year’s wheat in 1739.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack
…kinda sick of hearing (reading) the term “Moderate” applied to a bought-and-paid for shill for the fossil fuel industry (which is by NO means a “Moderate” stance), and Father and defender of the woman who co-ordinated with “Big Pharma” to make life-saving Epi-Pens virtually unaffordable a few short years after they were originally positioned to go to mass production and distribution at truly affordable rates.
A “Moderate” does NOT operate in complete denial of the will of his Voters, his Party, nor his President, regardless of which side of the aisle he sits…
You’re right. He might as well move to the regressive party. He blocks bills that would help to clean up our air, land, and water. He’ll do whatever the dirty coal & gas industry pay him to do. And he votes to kill bills that would enshrine the right for women to choose into federal law. He doesn’t belong in the Democratic Party.