Press Release
December 19, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Hersh-Walker, 510-759-2921, [email protected]
OAKLAND, CA – California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) released the following statement today in response to Senator Joe Manchin’s remarks that he doesn’t plan to support the critical Build Back Better legislation. This bill would be the single largest investment in fighting the climate crisis that the United States has ever made.
Statement from Mary Creasman, CEO, California Environmental Voters:
“Manchin’s statement is heartbreaking and infuriating and should make us all wonder if he was ever negotiating in good faith.
To list the economy as a reason to not vote for this critical and historic legislation puts into question his understanding of the actual implications of this bill for working people. This legislation would save our economy and our families and invest in the future of our communities.
Goodbye to needed investments in solar, wind, and other clean energy innovations that are critical to creating good jobs and ending our dependence on fossil fuels. Goodbye to investments to address wildfires and droughts that California desperately needs. Goodbye to access to clean and safe drinking water and advancing climate justice in communities of color who have carried the burden of climate change and pollution.
This collapse of negotiations in D.C. further makes the case that California and other states are the necessary leaders in climate action.
Senator Manchin is risking lives and livelihoods for all. He is snatching away a climate-just future from young people who have been demanding political action. Let’s call this what it is: political grandstanding and dishonesty.
The American people know this and demand and deserve more.”
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
