PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2022
Sen. Joe Manchin has pulled out of talks over the Democrats’ climate and social spending bill, effectively killing any hope of passing federal climate legislation for at least two years. Perhaps it was naïve of me to think there was a chance this legislation would be passed. Manchin made his millions in the coal industry, reportedly meets weekly with Exxon Mobil lobbyists, and has taken more money from the fossil fuel industry than any other member of Congress. I’m tired of Republicans and “centrist Democrats” double-crossing my generation. We have known about climate change since the 1980s and as record heat spreads across the globe, extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense and crops start to fail, Congress still has never passed any legislation on climate change. Sen. Collins needs to put the interests of Maine kids and every living creature on this planet over the interests of the Republican Party, and get this legislation over the finish line. ~ Charlie Cobb, Portland