We need a Senate that takes the climate crisis seriously, so since last November, we have been pushing to replace Senator Joe Manchin as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Senator Manchin in his role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has repeatedly ignored, stalled, or shot-down attempt after attempt to transition our country away from climate crisis causing fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives such as wind and solar.

Now, with news that Senator Manchin has agreed to include $369 billion for climate and energy programs in the spending package, it's clear that our pressure is working!

Manchin came to the table and negotiated with leadership because of pressure like ours.

But the passage of historic climate legislation isn't a done deal, especially with Senator Manchin's track record of flip-flopping at the last minute on climate-related legislation.

A coal baron cannot control climate policy.

President Biden ran on the promise to tackle the climate crisis with a whole-of-government approach. He signed an executive order to halt all new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters, suspended drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and even canceled the Keystone Pipeline on his first day in office.

Now, Senator Joe Manchin has put that promise at risk after forcing President Biden to significantly reduce the ability of the Build Back Better Act to tackle climate change, including cutting the Clean Electricity Performance Program, a $150 billion initiative that would financially reward utilities for transitioning to renewable energy and penalize those that don’t.

Manchin owns millions of dollars in coal stocks and earns half a million dollars each year in dividends alone.⁽¹⁾ So, it should be no surprise Manchin said earlier this year that the goal of eliminating fossil fuels is “very, very disturbing”⁽²⁾ and attacked environmentalists as unfairly targeting the burning of coal⁽³⁾, as if it had almost no impact on climate change.

Here’s the problem: As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Manchin is responsible for regulating the fossil fuel industry and has enormous power over hearings on key climate policy issues, developing bill proposals, and reporting legislative recommendations to the full Senate chamber.

At a time when global temperatures are continuing to rise and extreme weather events are getting worse every year, it’s clear a coal baron cannot be in charge of the United States Senate climate policy.

Tell Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: Replace Senator Joe Manchin as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources now.

The conflict of interest is clear, and so is the science.

Coal is one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis and must be phased out completely to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Existing coal plants must be shut down and replaced with non-carbon sources.

Obviously, we can’t expect a person whose family makes millions of dollars a year by burning coal to deliver on President Biden’s promise to end America’s dependency on fossil fuels.

Of course Senator Manchin doesn’t want to penalize utility companies that still use coal or incentivize the use of solar and wind power. He doesn’t want to shut down dirty power plants and replace them with renewable energy.

Given Manchin’s deep ties to the coal industry and personal conflict of interests, he cannot continue to lead Senate Democrats’ climate policy and must be immediately replaced as Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Tell Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: Replace Senator Joe Manchin as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources NOW!

^{[1] Joe Manchin, who is holding up crucial climate change initiatives in Biden's reconciliation bill, collects $500,000 a year from coal stocks dividends: report, Business Insider, Sep 2021
[2] Joe Manchin says he's 'very, very' disturbed about reconciliation proposals on climate change, CNN, July 2021
[3] Manchin defends coal-fired plants, expresses concern over 'aggressive' Biden climate goals, Utility Dive, June 2021}