Manchin Gains Bill Clinton’s Ear on Coal’s Future

By Lawrence Messina

Gov. Joe Manchin has found a willing listener as he touts West Virginia’s potential role in the country’s energy future: former President Bill Clinton.

Manchin has had a series of sometimes lengthy talks with the fellow Democrat – himself a former governor of Arkansas and founder of an initiative dedicated to tackling climate change – about coal and emerging technology to burn it more cleanly.

The two men have talked about the importance of including coal and clean coal technologies in the country’s energy plan and energy independence strategy, Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg told The Associated Press.

"President Clinton has been one of the few national leaders to be receptive to the governor’s concerns," Ramsburg said. "The governor looks forward to continuing to share information and ideas back and forth with him on this critical issue."

Since leaving the White House in 2001, Clinton has formed a foundation in his name "to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges," according to its Web site.

That includes the Clinton Climate Initiative, which pursues what it terms a "business-oriented" approach toward reducing greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide from coal and other fossil fuels. It also encourages ways to use energy more efficiently while developing alternative sources.

As governor of the nation’s second largest coal producer, Manchin has called on other states to sign his "Declaration of Energy Independence." He also has championed the drive to convert coal into a liquid fuel, considering that a "clean" technology.

Manchin is head of the National Governors Association’s Natural Resources Committee, and is also the outgoing chairman of the 18- member Southern States Energy Board.

Ramsburg said Clinton and Manchin have also recently talked about the miners missing since the Aug. 6 collapse of a Utah coal mine. The former president was one of the first people to phone Manchin in the wake of West Virginia’s deadly 2006 Sago Mine blast, Ramsburg said.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has not been part of these talks, Ramsburg said. The New York Democrat brought her 2008 presidential campaign to West Virginia last month, and talked briefly about pursuing clean coal.

"The discussions have just been with the president," Ramsburg said. "[Manchin] is just pleased that the president has been receptive."

Originally published by The Associated Press.

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