July 21, 2011

Manchin Statement on New York City Mayor Anti-Coal Agenda

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today made the following statement about New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $50 million donation to support the Sierra Club’s anti-coal agenda. 

“I am very disappointed that at a time when we should be looking for a balance in this country’s energy policy – a balance that considers both the economy and the environment, and that takes into account all of this nation’s vast domestic resources – the approach that Mayor Bloomberg has chosen is entirely one-sided and wrong,” Senator Manchin said. “Coal not only built this country, but it built the skyscrapers of New York City, and without coal, the lights of that city would be dark and its economy would be devastated.  “I have said from day one, and will say until my last breath, that there has to be a balance in our country between the environment as well as our economic and national security, which are threatened by this country’s addiction to foreign oil. 

“The bottom line is that coal is an abundant, affordable source of energy that powers more than half this nation. It provides countless American jobs in my little state of West Virginia, and all over this country, and now is not the time to eliminate those jobs and create the conditions for utility rate hikes on the people who can least afford them. Rather than a strictly ‘anti-coal’ agenda, I would hope that individuals with financial resources like Mayor Bloomberg would choose a more balanced approach that recognizes the vital role that coal plays in our nation’s energy portfolio both now and into the future.” 

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