Vice President Kamala Harris attempted to defend the Biden climate change plan that would cost thousands of jobs, arguing that the administration wants to help jobless West Virginia coal miners transfer their job skills to a new industry — “reclaiming abandoned land mines.”
Harris spoke to West Virginia’s WSAZ-TV and was asked President Biden’s executive order pausing new licenses for oil, gas, and coal extraction on federal lands and waters and the concerns of job losses. The Vice President said Biden believes that solving the climate change crisis and job creation complement each other.
“All of those skilled workers who are in the coal industry and transferring those skills to what we need to do in terms of dealing with reclaiming abandoned land mines; what we need to do around plugging leaks from oil and gas wells; and, transferring those important skills to the work that has yet to be done that needs to get done,” Harris said.
“The president has been very clear that this is not about any existing leases in terms of coal and what we’re doing in terms of oil and coal and federal lands. This is about what we need to do going forward to create more jobs. The president feels very strongly that when we are thinking about saving our environment, when you talk to him about climate change, the first thing that he talks about is job creation,” Harris added.
On Biden’s first day in office, he signed a slew of executive orders that reenlisted the United States in the Paris Climate accord, revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit that has cost over tens of thousand jobs. Last week, Biden in his executive order frenzy continued his job kill initiative in the name of climate concern by banning energy drilling and putting a freeze on new oil and gas leases on public lands.
West Virginia is one of the states that would be heavily affected by Biden’s push to phase out the fossil fuel industries. The state is known for its coal industry and a major concern to many West Virginians who have seen their state economy boom during former President Trump’s tenure.
Sen. Shelly Moore Capitol (R-WV) slammed Biden’s climate plan, arguing it would paralyze an entire industry.
“In West Virginia, we remember the effects of this playbook originally created during the Obama administration,” Capito told West Virginia MetroNews. “America is a proud energy producer, and paralyzing an entire industry full of high-paying jobs and propping up hostile countries with fewer environmental regulations does little to combat global climate change and creates resentment at home.”
Harris’s interview with the local West Virginia station was intended to promote Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Covid relief package dubbed as the American Rescue Plan. However, neither Harris nor the White House gave the state’s own Senator, Joe Manchin a heads up to discuss the appearance. With the Senate evenly divided at 50-50, Biden needs every single one of Democrats vote to advance his progressive agenda, especially Manchin who is considered one of the most influential moderate senator.
Manchin made his frustration clear regarding the lack of communication from the White House, saying the apparent snub goes against the “unity” pledged both Biden and Harris swore to uphold.
“I saw [the Harris interview]. I couldn’t believe it. No one called me. We’re going to try to find a bipartisan pathway forward, but we need to work together,” Manchin told the same TV station where Harris appeared on over the weekend. “That’s not a way of working together.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked during Monday’s briefing about the White House snub towards Manchin.
The “circle back” press secretary deflected the questions, saying the White House “have been in touch” with the West Virginia Senator but didn’t give insight as to who had spoken to Manchin.
“We’ve been in touch with Sen. Manchin, as we have been for many weeks and will continue to be moving forward,” White House Psaki said. “Not only is he a key partner to the President and to the White House on this package, but on his agenda and we will remain in close touch with him.”
Psaki also declined to explain the reasoning as to why the White House had Harris do the media interview blitz in West Virginia and whether it was designed to apply pressure on Manchin to back the COVID relief package.
“Our focus is communicating with the American people about how the American rescue plan can help put food on the table, can help ensure we can get vaccines in the arms of Americans, and help send kids back to school,” she said. “That’s our overarching objective with all of the communications we do.”
Harris was also asked by WSAZ reporter as to why West Virginia, many who are Trump supporters should trust the new administration.
“Because we have faith in the American people,” she said. “We ran as Democrats, but we are Americans and we will lead as Americans. We want our country to be strong, we want our country to be healthy, we want our children to thrive, and that’s the bottom line. That’s why we’re doing this.”
While land mines are referred to as underground explosives, Harris’s gaffe didn’t explode the news coverage as they attempted to cover up her lack of knowledge between an IED and the energy sector. Remember this is the party that claims to “believe in science.”
Kamala HarrisLand MinesPresident BidenWest Virginia
Marvia
February 3, 2021Harris needs to stick with her known profession of ‘Heels Up’. Anything else the woman hasn’t a clue.
Tom
February 3, 2021Wind is good, when it blows, solar is good when the sun shines, but is extremely expensive to install and maintain (priced storage batteries lately?) has anyone noticed or considered the damage caused by hurricane and tornados that frequent our country are solar panels immune to such damage seeing’s how they are in the open where anything flying or falling,such as trees will destroy them instantly? Back to storage batteries, are they aware these items are made from tar, sulphuric acid, lead, NONE of which can be produced by wind or solar?! I could go on but any non democrook can understand what I’m getting at
Tom
February 3, 2021Yeah, our COVID recovery plan will help you all, til the realization comes to the forefront that it is a temporary solution to the loss of your livelihood!!
rytwinger
February 3, 2021“One thing you can’t hide, is when you’re crippled inside……..”
John Lennon
Erleebird
February 3, 2021Harris is as stupid as she looks!
Papa Bear
February 3, 2021Actually, under Biden’s Climate Plan, we are all gonna sit around in the dark, and freeze to death.
Tony Winters
February 3, 2021OK, I see it now, extracting Coal from the Ground and Extracting Land Mines from the Ground. Very similar occupations, they both have to do with digging. A definite cross over job. I do have a question for our new VP, do you have any idea what coal is, and do you have any idea what a Land Mine is? To the best of my knowledge if you toss a couple lumps of coal into a fire you will get a nice steady heat. On the other hand if you toss a Land Mine into a fire, it could very well be the last thing you every do.
I do have one other question, was our new VP born this stupid or did she have to go to a special school?
Jerry Moore
February 2, 2021Harris is nothing but a deplorable racist communist cheap stupid whore
And what she ended up with is a mfing jerk
Checker1
February 2, 2021That’s a bunch of BS !!..People get tired of running all over the country just to find a new job especially the families.. Leave things alone .With a much slower transition would create a more stability for the economy and lives would not be in such a turmoil especially in a pandemic. People are already scared of the future. Why ad more pressure to families who are just trying to survive?…What they should do is send the the $2,000.00 they have been promising for months…or is that more lies?..You think people have the money to move..and still survive?
Tom
February 2, 2021Has there ever been two more ignorant idiots in the executive office??? Highly doubtful.
James R Maxwell
February 2, 2021If there is a more ignorant individual on the planet than the Democrat Socialist in the Oal office will they please stand up so he wong be such a glaring ass.
jColes
February 2, 2021Can we say ‘lying loon’?
This Kamala being cares nothing for the little people who have actual skills & work with their hands & heads instead of other anatomical body parts.
J Stearns
February 2, 2021She wants “skilled workers” to fill up really deep holes such as abandoned mines? Is she kidding? Dems can’t even fill up the potholes in our streets!
James A Roecker
February 2, 2021She really has no idea of what she is saying.
Marlene
February 2, 2021I can only hope that more states sue these morons for their idiocy. At this time there is no viable “green energy” sources. Most of the things like wind power cost more to maintain than the energy they produce. I live in Florida and you are more likely to see solar panels in the trash than on roofs. The are expensive and installation costs are even worse. The fact that they wear out faster than you can pay for them is also a drawback. Kelly saying that workers can make solar panels is rather stupid as they are made in China. Biden and the rest of the Looney left have no clue as to what they are doing. They remind me of the banderlog of Kipling’s jungle book.
Jeff
February 2, 2021This new administration believes in mine equity. Coal mines are now equal to land mines. Clearly we have the dumbest administration EVER to occupy the White House!
John
February 2, 2021Land Mines? Really? They want coal miners to go collect land mines?