U.S. Senator Joe Manchin walks through the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
The other obstacle is unease around specific climate initiatives. Manchin hails from a state with less than 2 million residents, but a heavy reliance on coal. His disapproval helped squash Biden’s proposal for a Clean Electricity Performance Program that would have incentivized utilities to stop using oil, coal and gas. The goal was for 80% of electricity produced in the country to come from clean sources by 2030, compared to the current 40%.
Manchin has good reason to keep those tax credits alive. While West Virginia is the second-largest coal producer in the United States and top five in natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, it’s also one of the states most exposed to damage from climate change. More than 60% of its power stations are at risk from a so-called 100-year flood, according to the First Street Foundation.