Democrats are exploring their options to tackle climate change after West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, a pivotal Democratic Senate vote, declared President Joe Biden’s so-called Build Back Better agenda “dead.”
Noting that climate is a top issue for Biden and many voters before the 2022 midterm election cycle, some Democrats are imploring the president to prioritize the area as he seeks to resurrect “chunks” of his once-sprawling $2 trillion legislative agenda.
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There is an “open discussion” among Democrats about how to revisit climate action this spring if COVID-19 cases have fallen and economic inflationary pressures have eased, according to party strategist Simon Rosenberg.
Tensions between the United States and Russia over Ukraine have contributed to the sense of urgency surrounding climate action since the Kremlin’s aggression “is being paid for through fossil fuels,” Rosenberg contended.
“What a signal to send to the Russians that we are accelerating the movement away from fossil fuels, which is really the source of their power,” he said.
But suggestions, such as those from Rosenberg, are emerging at an awkward time for the White House. Biden and White House officials have promised to continue pushing for components of Build Back Better, but simultaneously, they need to promote his accomplishments before November’s elections rather than dilute that message with his “to-do” list.
A Politico/Morning Consult poll published this week found that fewer than 1 in 5 people believe Biden is doing “the right amount to combat climate change.” Barely more than a quarter of conservative-leaning respondents think he is taking appropriate action, compared to 10% of their liberal counterparts.
Congressional Republican sources told the Washington Examiner that any climate action would likely emanate from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Manchin chairs. But his demand for “regular order,” which requires 10 Republicans to side with Democrats for a filibuster-proof supermajority, restricts the scope of any prospective framework.
One Republican Senate aide dismissed the White House and Democrats’ chances of climate action success in an election year.
“They’re grasping at straws to try and win primaries, but the American people are more concerned about higher prices at the grocery store and the gas pump than they are with whether or not there are electric car chargers or climate corps in their neighborhood,” the staffer said.
Former South Carolina Republican Rep. Bob Inglis, now a climate action advocate, disagreed. In particular, he proposed the possibility of bipartisan collaboration on a carbon tax, though it would be “a heavier lift and take some more explanation and convincing.”
“That’s what Joe Biden should be asking about and working on,” he said. “That, we know, is the most powerful way to reduce global emissions.”
North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer also encouraged Democrats to emphasize emissions reduction rather than “their opposition at fuel sources.”
“One of the greatest detriments to passing stuff around here is people who won’t vote for something because it’s not good enough,” he said. “They will vote against it not for what’s in it but for what’s not in it. And I do worry that that’s usually the sign of a radical or a zealot.”
Democrats mounting a climate action campaign could provide Republicans with “Green New Deal” fodder before the fall, according to Cramer. But he understood Manchin’s desire for a blank slate and space to consider ideas properly after the Build Back Better drama.
For the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee member, 60 votes for climate action is “doable,” especially if Manchin spearheaded negotiations and Biden’s “pretty decent” carbon capture, utilization, and storage provisions regarding clean coal technologies, as well as tax credits, were included in the conversation.
“I don’t care if you call it climate. I don’t care if you call it Build Back Better. It doesn’t matter to me what you call it. To me, it’s an energy bill, and I’m happy to engage in that. But we ought to start with things that we agree on,” he said.
Bipartisan climate action may become even more critical to Biden later this year if the conservative-laden Supreme Court curbs his executive powers through West Virginia v. EPA. Oral arguments begin Feb. 28.
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Biden did acknowledge the importance of climate action twice this week. He referenced the environment when he announced that Australian-based Tritium was constructing its first U.S. electric vehicle charger manufacturing facility in Tennessee as part of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal. He then spoke about how Build Back Better could lower energy costs, create good-paying union jobs, and invest in a cleaner future for the country during a round table with utility company CEOs.
