Sen. Joe Manchin said Wednesday he agrees that climate change is real, but technology that allows the use of fossil fuels is the solution, not measures like the Green New Deal and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's pledge of $500 million to close coal plants.
Manchin said closing coal plants devastates his state of West Virginia without solving the problem."Why do you want to punish the hard-working people of my state of West Virginia who have done everything possible to answer the call for this great country so many times?" the Democratic lawmaker told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
Manchin said he's told Bloomberg to help get a pension plan bill passed "which I can't get (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell to move off of" and then move on toward developing the technology to clean up the global climate.
"Asia, India, and China are using more coal-fired plants than ever," said Manchin. "By 2040 they will be 50% dependent on coal, and we have to find that technology."
Manchin said he recently returned from a trip to the Arctic, and climate change is "real up there," but he doesn't think the Green New Deal is a practical approach, and he thinks people "know that."
Manchin that while in the Arctic, he and other leaders met with lawmakers from the Arctic nations, and learned they are moving forward with technology innovation.
"We are the only nation that makes climate change a political divide," said Manchin. "I'm going to try to work with both sides to bring it together and use a practical approach."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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