West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin continues to thwart Democrats’ attempts to pass a historic, 10-year reconciliation package that would vastly expand the social safety net and combat the climate crisis. Manchin told the White House he opposes a key provision to replace coal- and gas-fired power plants with renewable energy sources, a central pillar of the Build Back Better Act’s climate plans.
Senator Manchin has received more campaign donations from the oil, coal and gas industries than any other senator. He has also earned millions from coal companies he created in the 1980s and that his son now runs. As Manchin fights plans to curb the worst effects of the climate crisis, recently released data show his home state of West Virginia is more vulnerable to worsening floods than anywhere else in the United States.
This comes as Indigenous leaders and climate activists capped off a week-long protest in D.C. Friday with a march on the U.S. Capitol and a sit-in on Pennsylvania Avenue and called again on President Biden to declare a climate emergency. Over 90 activists were arrested, bringing the total number of arrests during the week of action to 655.