Manchin: We Must Develop U.S. Energy to Counter Putin, Becoming Energy Dependent Pursuing Green Initiatives Is 'Not Leadership'

On West Virginia MetroNews’ “Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval” on Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that we should counter Russia by developing all of America’s energy resources, and we’re “caught in a crunch,” where we have to “start asking the rest of the world to produce for you. That’s not who we are. That’s not leadership.” Manchin also argued that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has made it “almost impossible to build any gas pipelines or maintain the infrastructure that we need in order to be energy independent.”

Manchin said, [relevant remarks begin around 17:05] “Putin is using energy as a weapon. It’s a political weapon. It’s more than a political weapon. It’s becoming a geopolitical weapon. And he’s using it to his advantage. And for the United States of America not to develop all the energy and basically use the energy that the good Lord has given us so that we can not only keep ourselves independent, but be able to assist our allies around the world, that’s how you offset this. That’s how you checkmate this. And right now, I’m very much concerned about people wanting to withdraw back and do nothing by using our fossils in the cleanest way. I’m not saying throwing caution to the wind with our climate. I think that’s the most important thing that we can do. But we can do it by utilizing the things that we have, the resources, the oil, the natural gas, and we can provide the stability the world needs from us backing up their energy needs.”

He added, “I’ve been in disagreement with the administration for quite some time on the energy policies, and I’m trying to work with them and make them understand what we have and we must continue to develop to make sure that we’re in a position of independence in our country. And when you’re starting to replace things, make sure you have something to replace it with. Don’t just be aspirational and say, I want to get rid of coal, I want to get rid of natural gas, and I want to quit using oil, and then, all of a sudden, you get caught in a crunch, as we are, and start asking the rest of the world to produce for you. That’s not who we are. That’s not leadership. It’s not [what we should be doing]. … I’ve gone after FERC for making it almost impossible to build any gas pipelines or maintain the infrastructure that we need in order to be energy independent.”

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