Common Sense Starts to Trickle into Controversial Infrastructure Bill

October 20, 2021

In a rare bit of good news from Washington, DC, The Wall Street Journal reports today that at least one of the most onerous pieces of the Green New Deal won’t make it into the Democrats’ massive infrastructure package. According to the newspaper, the ‘clean-electricity performance program’ would likely be dropped after continued opposition was raised by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). 

The Journal reports:

Democrats had designed the clean-electricity performance program to provide grants to utilities that increase the amount of clean electricity they generate by at least 4% a year, while penalizing utilities that don’t meet that standard.

Last week, the Journal published a quote from a Manchin spokesperson explaining his opposition to the program:

“Senator Manchin has clearly expressed his concerns about using taxpayer dollars to pay private companies to do things they’re already doing,” a spokeswoman for Mr. Manchin said in a statement. “He continues to support efforts to combat climate change while protecting American energy independence and ensuring our energy reliability.”

Furthermore, utilities are transitioning toward renewable energy sources when and where it makes sense – while at the same time weighing impacts on affordability and reliability. These are complicated decisions, and best left to the women and men who understand the grid, not bureaucrats and legislators in Washington, DC.

Hopefully, more common sense will continue to trickle into DC for the sake of America’s families and workers who want heat this winter at prices they can afford. More senators should continue to ignore the whining of out-of-touch environmental activists and politicians who are just eager to bring America the same energy policies that are failing in Europe.