New senator Manchin seeks Energy Committee slot

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — who ran away from the White House climate agenda on the campaign trail — hopes to sit on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Manchin told Environment & Energy Daily that energy policy is one of his strengths.

“I understand it. I want to make sure the nation is secure,” he said Monday, according to the piece. “You have to be energy independent to be secure, and you got to use everything you got.”

He was sworn in Monday. Manchin also said he supports Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-W.Va.) bill to block upcoming Environmental Protection Agency climate regulations for two years.

Rockefeller is seeking a vote during the lame-duck session.