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Lost in all the cheering about the Manchin climate deal is what I consider a poison pill that should sink if it were well-known. Hidden in the details of the deal is this: Before the Federal government can offer any wind or solar permits, it must annually auction off at least 2 million acres of government land for oil or gas leases. WTF?????

When a primary demand about oil and gas is "Keep It In the Ground," there are not words to say how bad this policy will be if made into law. In the future, Manchin will be seen as a climate criminal for this policy alone.

While the rest of the deal will lead to huge increase in renewable energy, if we do not quickly reduce usage of oil and gas, we are doomed to a runaway climate catastrophe. Which is what we will get if the 2 million acres a year of new leases becomes law.

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I just did a Google search on whether there is enough supply potential of solar and wind systems to satisfy demand (which should accelerate if the new bill in the senate passes). Nothing showed up in the search. As far as I'm concerned, this is an important issue, and it needs to be addressed.

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