Manchin rejects offshore drilling ban amid broader standoff over Biden agenda

[Polybius]

Source: Washington Post

Democratic plans to restrict new oil and gas development off both coasts and in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have emerged as a new flash point in the Build Back Better bill, highlighting the party’s deep political schisms as it tries to advance the massive spending legislation.

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), a critical swing vote, has rejected a provision that would prohibit all future drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts as well as the eastern Gulf of Mexico, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. He also expressed surprise at top Democrats’ decision to include language ending an oil and gas leasing program in the pristine refuge, a longtime priority for party leaders and their environmentalist allies, but he has not indicated whether he will oppose it.

Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee, exercises a de facto veto over the $2 trillion climate and social spending plan because it needs all 50 Democrats’ votes to win Senate passage.

A spokeswoman for Manchin declined to comment on the matter.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/12/16/manchin-offshore-drilling-arctic/

[Crowman2009]

1. Hey Manchin lovers, still love him now?

Let's vote for more Dems in congress next year so we can kick this asshole and sellout Sinema to the curb.

[NurseJackie]

6. Oh, please.

Hey Manchin lovers, still love him now?

Ridiculous. Who here said they "love him" ... nobody.

What we've consistently said is that we're glad he's a Democrat. We've said that we're grateful that his warm "D" body gives us a tie in the Senate (and NOT Mitch McConnell as leader).

We've said that he's the BEST we can hope for out of West Virginia and we're damned lucky to have him.

Let's vote for more Dems in congress next year so we can kick this asshole and sellout Sinema to the curb.

No. We can certainly vote for more Democrats in the Senate... I like that idea. But "kicking Manchin to the curb" very likely means that a Republican will take his place... and that would give the GOP a two-seat advantage.

It's always better to approach things like this strategically rather than going off half cocked in an emotional tantrum to rid the Senate of actual Democrats who do keep us at a 50/50 split.

[Ray Bruns]

10. If Joe Manchin is a Democrat, then I am the king of Siam.

[NurseJackie]

16. He's a Democrat. If he was not a Democrat, Mitch McConnell would be the Senate Majority Leader...

... but he's not. Chuck Schumer is.

If Joe Manchin is a Democrat, then I am the king of Siam.

[honest.abe]

30. Its shocking that we have to repeatedly remind people of this obvious fact.

[yardwork]

17. I think you may have missed the point.

We need to count Manchin and Sinema in the Democratic caucus in order for Democrats to control the Senate. The control is essential. If we lose even one Democrat, the Republicans regain control. Mitch McConnell is in charge again. All Senate committees would be chaired by Republicans and Republicans would control the majority votes in all committees. Democrats would literally have zero power. Literally nothing of Biden's agenda would get passed. Nothing. Instead, the Republican-controlled Senate would immediately impeach Biden. It's hard to imagine the dystopian nightmare that would ensue.

Democrats must elect MORE Democratic senators and representatives and increase our margin of power in both houses of Congress. Only then will Manchin and Sinema lose their veto power.

[JustAnotherGen]

18. +1000

[TiberiusB]

22. The House handles impeachment, the Senate handles the trial

That's the 2022 nightmare, but it can't happen without control of both chambers. Judges and other appointments also go through the Senate.

[Igel]

25. It's hardly the case that (D) would have "zero power."

Consider the "power" that the minority (R) have now in the Senate.

They'd only be powerless if they manage to get rid of the filibuster, so that a political minority was really powerless and a 50% + 1, possibly a transient majority, could impose 100% of its will on 100% of the population.

Note that under Trump the filibuster was used or threatened (which is as good as actually being used) hundreds of times, and it wasn't because (R) were filibustering (R).

[samsingh]

34. manchin seems to be very repug. the only good thing is that his 'd' gives us some control

over senate priorities if not the actual votes.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. Yeah - I don't love Manchin

I LOVE my two NJ Senators.

I'm holding their feet to the fire (Booker's DC office on hold as I write this). They need to sit his ass down and set him straight. We voted for Biden, Menendez, and Booker to put a stop to oil companies destroying our way of life.

[relayerbob]

31. Exactly correct

[onecaliberal]

19. Watch out what you say about him here.

[BradAllison]

28. Careful now

I mean, gooooooo Joey M!!!

[elleng]

2. chairs the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee

a big prize for him. Who the hell gave it to him? Schumer?

[BlueJac]

5. Kick him off committee...

Play fucking hardball like he is doing to Biden. This is war, we need to win!

[FBaggins]

8. No way to kick him off of the committee

McConnell will just give it back to him.

[Vinca]

3. Is there a GOP PAC funding Manchin? He's doing more to get them elected than

any Republican I can think of.

[onecaliberal]

20. Good question. Look at his public disclosures. You can see where his campaign donations come from.

Hint: It won't be a surprise.

[pwb]

4. Pukes are leading him around like he has a ring in his nose.

Sad that he feels otherwise.

[Bayard]

7. OH, COME ON!!

What the hell is wrong with this guy?!

[LudwigPastorius]

9. That son of a bitch....

(goes against terms of service, I know, but I had to say it.)

[left-of-center2012]

11. @!#$%&$#!

[turbinetree]

24. You beat me to it.....@#!%&*()_(&%#@% Joe Manchin..

[usaf-vet]

12. Hey! who in the hell elected him to the national post. He is not POTUS. Time to deal with that a$$.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. NJ Folks - Call Booker and Menendez NOW

If Manchin is doing this - he's threatening the livelihood of Shore workers. We saw what happened with Sandy. We saw what lowered sales did in 2020. This puts human beings ability to make a living at risk . . .

Surely - Senator Coal Mines can relate to that?

[relayerbob]

15. I would happily give to the DNC to....

bribe Manchin and Sinema for more than the GOP is. Let's get 'er done

[KPN]

21. I suspect there's some truth to that notion sadly.

After all, we do have “the best government money can buy”.

[SunImp]

29. We really shouldn't need to bribe politicians to do the right thing

For people like Manchin & Sinema I guess there is no choice

[Marthe48]

23. Are mancin and mcconnell ever in the same place, same time

Because it is easy to suspect that they are one and the same.

[sakabatou]

26. Manchin is a sellout to big oil and coal.

[truthisfreedom]

27. Joe, we get it. You're a dinosaur.

But there’s no I in team.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

32. Republicans have wanted to rape the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve for decades.

They have tried every trick in the book, starting with referring to it as ANWR ("AN-War" ), which diminishes its size and significance. It's as if you called the Grand Canyon National Park by the acronym GCNP (pronounced "Gick-Nip" ) to make it easier to extract any riches from the Park and its adjacent lands.

The oil companies even went so far as to fly a group of congressional politicians (Republicans, of course) over the area that the industry wants to develop to show them how barren and lifeless it is. Of course, they did it in the middle of the Alaskan winter, when everything was covered by snow and the animals were staying out of the -60 degree weather. "I've been to ANWR, and I can report first hand that there's nothing there."

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

33. Why in the hell did he even run as a D?

[myohmy2]

35. of course...

...