Manchin criticizes Biden’s power plant crackdown and shares his response.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin Opposes Biden Administration’s EPA Nominees

Expected Crackdown on Emissions at Power Plants

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia has announced his opposition to every Biden administration nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is due to the agency’s expected crackdown on emissions at power plants. The forthcoming regulations, which are widely reported to be scheduled for publication on Thursday, would demand that power plants considerably reduce their carbon emissions by 2040. This rule would force plants to use expensive carbon capture technology or switch to alternative fuel sources.

Skeptics of the move are concerned that the policy would decrease energy reliability and artificially increase electricity costs for households. Manchin, who is widely considered a centrist in the narrowly Democratic Senate and has frequently criticized Biden administration environmental policies, said in a statement that he would refuse to vote for any future EPA nominees until the expected regulations are nixed.

Impact on Fossil-Fueled Power Plants

Manchin contended that the forthcoming crackdown would “impact nearly all fossil-fueled power plants” in the United States “without an adequate plan to replace the lost baseload generation.” Natural gas and coal are respectively responsible for generating 40% and 20% of electricity in the country, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. The state of West Virginia, where Manchin is expected to compete for a third full term in the Senate, is meanwhile the fourth largest energy producer in the nation, according to more data from the agency.

“I fear that this administration’s commitment to their extreme ideology overshadows their responsibility to ensure long-lasting energy and economic security,” Manchin added.

Electric Vehicle Reliance

The Biden administration has established a “whole-of-government effort” to reduce carbon emissions in the public and private sectors. Beyond the introduction of additional EPA rules that would aim to increase nationwide adoption of electric cars, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm voiced support for a policy which would transition the military to exclusively rely upon electric vehicles by the year 2030.

Manchin has also called the moves to increase electric vehicle reliance a “Trojan horse” that would increase American reliance on minerals dominated by China, such as the lithium and cobalt necessary to manufacture electric car batteries. “I don’t believe that making progress on climate change should come at the expense of our national and energy security,” Manchin said in another statement. “I fully support Congress overturning these dangerous EPA regulations.”

New Efficiency Standards

Granholm has also announced new efficiency standards for gas stoves, dishwashers, beverage vending machines, electric motors, and several other product categories, claiming that the administration is “using all of the tools at our disposal to save Americans money while promoting innovations that will reduce carbon pollution and combat the climate crisis.”

• Manchin opposes every Biden administration nominee for the EPA
• Expected crackdown on emissions at power plants
• Regulations would demand power plants reduce carbon emissions by 2040
• Manchin fears impact on energy reliability and increased electricity costs for households
• Biden administration aims to reduce carbon emissions in public and private sectors
• Granholm supports policy to transition military to exclusively rely on electric vehicles by 2030
• Manchin calls moves to increase electric vehicle reliance a “Trojan horse”
• Granholm announces new efficiency standards for various product categories

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