Manchin interrupted at energy event by protesters denouncing ‘dirty’ Mountain Valley Pipeline deal

Sen. Joe Manchin III was speaking about energy policy at an event in Washington on Tuesday for all of 90 seconds before climate change protesters stopped the conservative West Virginia Democrat in his tracks.

Demonstrators quickly took over the stage where Mr. Manchin was answering questions from Semafor’s Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons to chant about the “dirty deal” that the Senate Energy Committee chairman secured last week as part of the bipartisan agreement to let the government keep borrowing above the $31.4 trillion limit.

That deal has to do with the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a $6.6 billion natural gas venture nearly complete that’s been stalled for years by litigation and environmental reviews. The debt-limit legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, clears the logjam to officially greenlight the project’s remaining permits.

“Dirty deal, MVP, Manchin you are killing me!” the protesters recited.

Climate Defiance, an activist organization known for its tactics like shutting down roadways and public events featuring government officials, claimed credit for bringing the event to a halt.

“Well done! Manchin deserves to be protested wherever he goes,” tweeted Jamie Henn, the director of a different climate group called Fossil Free Media. “And if you think that’s ‘rude’ or ‘doesn’t respect decorum,’ it’s nothing compared to the norms Manchin smashed to get his pet pipeline approved in the dirty debt ceiling deal.”

Just before the interruption, Mr. Manchin said the pipeline deal was concluded after “a lot of hard work.” He has lobbied the White House to sign off on it the past year.

“I don’t know if they woke up,” Mr. Manchin said. “They just got tired of hearing me.”

Mr. Manchin reportedly celebrated the interruption as a political gain for his reelection odds. His ruby red seat is considered one of the most vulnerable for Senate Democrats next year as Republicans look to end Democrats’ one-seat razor-thin majority.

“What these people did today helps me tremendously in my state,” Mr. Manchin later told attendees, according to CNN.

Mr. Manchin has refused to say whether he will seek another term.