White House eyes new climate change strategies in Biden bill

By LISA MASCARO and MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is zeroing in on a package of clean energy strategies for President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill. The administration believes the new approach could reach greenhouse gas emission reduction goals similar to an initial proposal that ran into opposition from coal-state Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. A major fight has emerged, though, over a proposal to include a so-called “methane fee.” The fee would be imposed on energy companies that leak methane pollution during oil and gas production. Manchin said Tuesday he is talking to a key senator and others about the methane fee, but does not want to “punish” energy companies “just for the sake of punishing” them.