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CHARLESTON (W.Va.) — Senator Joe Manchin stated that he doesn’t pay attention to campaign donations or criticism when making decisions regarding what is best for West Virginia.
Sounding a bit exasperated, when he was asked if the sudden increase in contributions he received from oil-and gas interests over the past months had influenced his vote. The conservative Democrat replied no.
During Friday’s roundtable in Charleston, he stated that his outsized involvement in the drafting of this massive economic package by U.S. President Joe Biden has made him the target for the “far left,” environmentalists and the fossil fuel sector.
” No one in their right minds would go through the eight-months of my experience with my staff, taking all the garbage we’ve taken away from everyone in the country,” he stated.
“I can be the hero and the villain all within a 24-hour shift,” he said. The bottom line is that I don’t make excuses for doing what is right. This is what I have always believed – I vote if I am able to explain it. That criticism is part of the game. It’s all part of the .”
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Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, offered a key vote needed to pass the Democrats’ flagship climate and health care bill in the 50-50 Senate. The House used a party-line 220-207 vote to pass the legislation, which Biden signed Tuesday.
The law places caps on seniors’ prescription drug costs and provides subsidies to Americans who need them. It also includes billions of dollars in incentives for clean-energy. It is largely due to Manchin’s influence and offers new support for traditional fuels such as natural gas and coal, as well as steps like subsidies for technology that lowers carbon emissions.
” I wasn’t certain that they would agree due to my friends from the far left (the environmental community) were totally committed dispersing, basically eliminating fossil,” Manchin stated about the law.
But Manchin stated that it is impossible to get rid fossils in a short time .”
” You can make it easier by transitioning more quickly, but you have to remember that it is with you and you must do your best with it.” he stated. So, I made sure that they knew .”
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Also, he stated that he was “criticised by all of my coal industry friends” for not going far enough to defend their interests.
“( They) think this will be harmful.” Manchin said, who is the family owner of Enersystems, which is a coal brokerage firm. It is fundamentally a way forward to continue producing industry and providing the energy our country requires .”
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Manchin, in agreement with Democratic leaders, proposed separate legislation that would speed up federal permits and make it easier to block energy projects under federal laws. Manchin also requested that the federal agencies take all appropriate actions to expedite completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline. This project has been long opposed by environmentalists.
The 303-mile (487-kilometer) pipeline, now mostly finished, would transport natural gas drilled from the Appalachian Basin through West Virginia and Virginia. The pipeline cost is now $6.6 billion after legal battles delayed its completion for nearly four years.
This election cycle, Manchin has received more campaign contributions from natural gas pipeline companies than any other member of U.S. Congress – contributions that have increased from $20,000 in 2020 to $331,910 in 2022, according to campaign finance records compiled by Open Secrets.
He stated that his goal in promoting the pipeline was to lower the price for consumers, increase the market size and create jobs. He said that the campaign money was not involved in it.
” I understand the cynical side of it. It’s something that people look at and think, “Well, they’re taking care of their own.” he added. People, it’s a pity that I don’t know who contributed. This is not something I look at .”
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He stated that lawmakers must “rise above” party and corporate pressures to provide for constituents.
“Politics is a very nasty and destructive process. Both sides are guilty in using the goodwill of America to their advantage – both parties – it’s not right for this country,” he stated.
