Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, has expressed his intent to block President Biden’s nominees for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to their proposed regulation on power plant emissions. Manchin, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized the administration’s plans to phase out fossil fuel-fired power plants without considering the repercussions on the national power grid.
Manchin has argued that neither the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law nor the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which he supported, provide the EPA with any additional authority to regulate emissions from power plants. He expressed concern that the administration is prioritizing ideological commitments over its duty to ensure long-term energy and economic security.
The imminent EPA regulation is expected to mandate coal and natural gas power plants to drastically reduce or capture most of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. Despite a Supreme Court ruling that deemed an Obama-era emissions regulation unconstitutional, the Biden administration continues its aggressive climate agenda.
This regulation will affect the 3,393 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the country, which are responsible for more than 60% of the nation’s electricity. By contrast, wind and solar projects produce a mere 14%. This extreme environmental policy from the Biden administration could risk an energy crisis and increase costs for Americans.
Manchin’s resistance highlights the recklessness of the Biden administration’s approach to environmental policy, which may jeopardize American energy security and economic stability.
Source Fox News