Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) lambasted President Obama's newly announced regulations for coal fired power plants Tuesday on FNC's "Special Report."
Manchin noted even if the United States were to stop burning coal completely, it would only eliminate one eighth of the world's coal consumption and have little impact on the environment.
Any suggestion otherwise is tantamount to believing "the world is flat," Manchin said.
Manchin also went after the Obama administration for singling out the coal industry, stating the president should be conducting a "war on a sluggish economy" as opposed to coal workers:
BRET BAIER: [...] Your reaction first of all to the president's speech and the new regulations?
JOE MANCHIN: It is just so irresponsible. We're looking for an all-in energy policy that basically secures our nation, makes us less dependent on foreign oil or foreign energy and we can do that, but we have to use everything we have, and in balance with the environment and economy, that's all we ever said. You know if you look at this in the big picture Bret, eight billion tons of coal burned is being burned in the world. And if we talk about the environment and climate, a little about geography and the world, you know the globe is round and climate is all around, if they believe that [if] we stop burning coal in America completely, and that's 1 billion tons a year, one-eighth the consumption of the world, that we will clean up the environment. They believe the world is still flat, that's what we're dealing with. Really, it is going to be a killer of jobs. Bottom line, EIA, which is part of the Energy Department for this president and this administration, basically says they're depending on coal, well up until 2040. 35 to 37 percent. Why do you want to shoot yourself in both feet and try to run the marathon tomorrow?