Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia spoke to members of the media as he left the U.S. Capitol on October 7. According to reports, Manchin told the White House that he opposed Biden’s trillion-dollar climate and social projects in key climate measures. Bloomberg hides the title bar via Getty Images

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia spoke to members of the media as he left the U.S. Capitol on October 7. According to reports, Manchin told the White House that he opposed Biden’s trillion-dollar climate and social projects in key climate measures.

President Biden promised to halve US greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030, but the important tools that the government plans to use to achieve this goal now seem out of reach.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the conservative West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has told the White House that he opposes key climate measures in Biden's trillion-dollar climate and social plan package.

The president needs the support of all 50 Democratic senators to pass the measure through a process called reconciliation.

The plan in question is the $150 billion Clean Power Performance Plan, which will grant financial incentives to utilities that transition to renewable energy and punish those that don't. Experts say that the plan will significantly reduce greenhouse gas pollution associated with power generation-today, power generation accounts for about a quarter of US emissions.

Manchin, who leads the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in an appearance on CNN in September that energy companies are already transitioning to clean energy.

"Now they want to pay the company to do what they are already doing," he said. "For me, as the market transforms, we spend billions of dollars and pay for utilities for what they are going to do, which makes no sense at all."

Manchin's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Tina Smith, a Democratic senator from Minnesota and a champion of clean energy measures, said in an interview with the Star Tribune that Manchin's description was "completely wrong."

"In fact, what we are doing is providing support to utility companies so that they can quickly increase clean energy without raising utility rates," Smith said.

Coal is the leading industry in Manchin's hometown of West Virginia.

As of 2019, the state is the second largest coal producer in the United States, and 91% of its energy needs depend on fuel. The energy sector accounts for 6% of employment in the state, while the national average is about 2%.

The senator also has personal financial connections with the fossil fuel industry.

Last year, according to his public financial disclosures, Manchin received approximately $492,000 in stock dividends from Enersystems, Inc., a coal company he founded in 1988, and is now controlled by his son Joseph. According to data from OpenSecrets, which tracks political fundraising activities, Manchin is the recipient of the most donations from the oil, gas, and coal mining industries in this election cycle.

After the news that Manchin opposed the clean energy plan came out, Smith issued a warning to the White House on Twitter.

"Let us be clear: Rebuilding a better budget must address climate change meaningfully," Smith said, using the government's brand in the legislative proposal.

"I am open to different approaches, but I cannot support a bill that will not allow us to meet our emission targets," Smith said. "There are 50 Democratic senators. Each of us needs to pass this bill."

Smith told NPR this month that she and Manchin have been in regular contact about Manchin's concerns.

Two weeks later, world leaders will hold an important United Nations climate change conference in Scotland, namely COP26.

After years of inaction and denial of climate change, President Biden and his climate envoy John Kerry have been working hard to establish the credibility of the United States on climate issues.

In an interview with the Associated Press this week, Kerry said that the government’s troubles in adopting its own climate policy undermined efforts to promote climate action abroad.

"I will not pretend that this is the best way to convey the best information. I mean, we need to do these things," Kerry said. He said that if Congress fails to pass important climate change legislation, "it's like President Trump withdrawing from the Paris Agreement again."

Kerry also said that the meeting negotiations may not be able to ensure the necessary commitments, if reached, limit global warming from pre-industrial levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to current global commitments, compared with 2010, global emissions in 2030 are expected to increase by approximately 16%. This will warm the earth by more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.

By then, rising sea levels will flood the coastline, extreme heat waves will become more common, and more severe floods and droughts may displace tens of millions of people.