Manchin's Demands
No EVs, More Fossil Fuels!
Are we any closer to Build Back Better?
I have been a proponent of the Give-Manchin-Whatever-He-Wants strategy and I still think that is the best way to go.
Today the New York Times is reporting that Manchin is demanding billions in EV tax incentives be stripped from the bill and that we should perhaps use the legislation “to increase the supply of fossil fuels.” Also he may or may not be trying to get a hydrogen research center in West Virginia but denies there is any bargaining or quid-pro-quoing going on where he supports EVs in exchange for this hydro (because Senators don’t do quid pro quos?)
Manchin is a tough nut to crack. But with energy prices currently high, contributing to consumer angst as well as inflation, it is hard to not see where he is coming from. I am all for a short-term expansion of fossil fuels if that also means billions more go toward clean energy. We’re unfortunately at a point where we may need to go back to the “all-of-the-above” energy approach of the Obama years. Because the fact is without Manchin’s vote, this bill won’t pass. So in essence we have to ask if the harm outweighs the good here. I don’t know what the contours look like but if there is more money toward clean energy than fossils then I would still support it, even if it expands the fossil fuel supply.
As an aside here - the Biden Administration is partially doing this to themselves with the situation in Ukraine. By constantly trying to escalate the war, refusing to make any attempts at diplomacy and declaring we may be there years, they are nearly guaranteeing high energy prices. But when pressed on the idea that pro-longing the war would pro-long high energy prices/inflation they proclaimed they would continue as long as it takes.
Well, that is not helpful and gets us to a situation where we are in now. But we lost the opportunity for a better bill last year and now must take what we can get in this new inflationary, high-energy price period. It is also important to note the bill may or may not include efforts to address prescription drug pricing and possibly a tax raise on rich people. It will all be made complicated and hard to understand but may achieve some good.
So keep on truckin’ (though not an EV truck.) As long as the benefits outweigh the costs let’s just go with what Joe wants and get this thing done.