One Democrats’ Message To Enviros: Get Over Yourselves, We Need Pipelines

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is a Democrat elected in a state – West Virginia – that gave Donald Trump 69 percent of the vote last year.

Manchin also comes from a state that is heavily reliant on fossil fuels to drive its economy.

So Manchin, who is now the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman, delivered a message to the Green New Deal crowd:

Get over it.

According to The Washington Times, Manchin encouraged radical environmental activists to live in the world we have – no the one they want.

He criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, which was slated to deliver 800,000 barrels of oil a day from western Canada.

“We need to come to grips with facts,” Manchin told the Times.

“I’ve said this, Everybody is entitled to their opinion, they’re just not entitled to create [their] own facts to support their own opinion.”

Manchin also championed the safety of pipelines.

“I’ve seen the devastating effects [of transporting oil and gas] by rail and by road, and a pipeline is the best way to move this product,” he said, according to the Times.

“And it’s going to come in, we need that heavy crude.”

Further, Manchin said it was better for America to secure that crude from a friend, like Canada, instead of a hostile regime, such as Venezuela.

“I would hope my environmentalists understand that and work with us in a very progressive way to make sure we are transporting this product in the safest and cleanest fashion,” he told the Times.

Of course, Manchin’s comments must be taken with several grains of salt.

Although he has voted against the Green New Deal, suggesting it’s unrealistic and “a dream,” Manchin voted against a GOP amendment to restore the Keystone XL pipeline, after he voted for it. Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester did likewise, ensuring the pipeline remains dead.