Manchin voices support of American energy independence

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Manchin: US does energy better and cleaner than anybody else

West Virginia senator told Bret Baier that America should 'ramp up the energy that we have' in the wake of rising gas prices and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., called for the United States to "ramp up" the energy it has and "truly" become energy-independent on Tuesday's "Special Report." 

JOE MANCHIN: Let me tell you right now, we have to be united. We're called the United States and the world is looking for leadership. We can't be pointing fingers and accusing. The bottom line is we can do more here … I am not absolutely signed on any way, shape or form for us to start buying basically or taking sanctions off Venezuela or Iran. I think it'd be a horrible mistake for us to do that. Next of all, if you're worried about the global climate, anything and everything that the United States does to replace and help our European allies and NATO allies, we do it better and cleaner than anybody else. I can tell you much, much better than Russia does it, much better than what Venezuela or what Iran does.

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So why wouldn't we use ours? Why don't we ramp up and use the energy that we have? And we have the ability, we have the producers who can do it. They just need some support. That's all, rather than beating them up and taking a club to them. Let's basically encourage, basically do more. We have to produce more [quickly], and let's make the United States of America truly energy-independent. And then let's work with our Canadian allies and our friends right across the border. Let's work with Mexico. Let's make this a North American energy hub. This should be basically the greatest energy market in the world.

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