Joe Manchin: “weeks and months ahead and maybe even for years to come, we will be debating President Obama's latest global climate…”

“weeks and months ahead and maybe even for years to come, we will be debating President Obama's latest global climate proposal. It is crucial that this debate be based on crystal clear facts and not clouded by political ideologies on either side. So, starting today, I plan to deliver a series of speeches on energy, and I plan to start with coal, which I know is no surprise to the Presiding Officer. Coal is America's greatest energy resource. I think it is important to lay out the facts about coal for several reasons. No. 1, coal is America's most abundant, most reliable, and most affordable source of energy, and it will be for decades to come. No. 2, the coal industry and its supporters have been falsely portrayed by opponents as monsters who have done something wrong, that they value money over health and the environment. No. 3, I think the American public has some basic misconceptions about coal and how important it is to keeping our economy growing and our Nation secure. I think that because I was recently asked: If coal is so controversial, then why don't we as a nation just use more electricity? The question shows that, basically, people don't understand where their electricity comes from. When we turn the lights on, over 40 percent of the people depend on coal. Most of this industry and this country has been built on the back of coal and what coal has produced. I didn't know how to respond to the person who asked that.…”