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West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin criticized the administration's efforts to regulate carbon emissions from power plants and urged the federal government to listen to market signals when investing in new energy technology.
"There are those of us on both sides of the aisle that believe that there's an overreach by the EPA," Manchin said at an event hosted by National Journal Wednesday.
Referring to the Environmental Protection Agency's new rules for future power plants, which will mandate the use of carbon capture and storage technology, he added: "We don't have the technology to get us there and they are going to say that if you don't get there you can't do it and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever."
Instead, Manchin called for greater collaboration between the federal government and the private sector so that public investment can be used to support what he says are more viable technologies.
"You can't force a round peg in a square hole," Manchin said.
Manchin also said the administration has not done enough to solicit feedback before making determinations about where to invest in research and development and deciding which policies to promote. He mentioned the EPA's decision not to a stop in West Virginia, one of the top coal-producing states, during its public listening sessions on upcoming regulations for existing power plants.
