Joe Manchin demands climate provisions stripped from budget bill

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin offered a lump of coal to his fellow Democrats after he demanded $150 billion in clean-energy initiatives be removed from a budget bill currently making its way through the Senate.

Senate sources confirmed to The Post that Manchin was “dug in” on climate issues.

“As a path forward there are two choices, compromise in some form or fashion or eliminate the climate aspect from reconciliation and work on it thereafter,” said one senior insider in the chamber.

Manchin has already expressed cost reservations about the $3.5 trillion budget package currently pending in the Senate. The $150 billion earmarked for climate initiatives would be used to convert coal and gas-fired plants to ones that operate with cleaner tech like wind, solar and nuclear.

Manchin has also made it known that he is opposed to a provision in the bill known as the Clean Electricity Performance Program, which rewards utilities that up their clean-energy supply — and punish those who don’t, the Washington Post reported.