CHARLESTON, W.Va.— U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was honored Tuesday for his 42 years of public service and above all else his ability to strengthen the energy security here in West Virginia.
Top energy industry leaders from West Virginia and friends were able to come together and honor Manchin at the Charleston Coliseum and Event Center.
Shelley Moore Capito
One of those friends was U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito who said that Manchin was she could rely on.
“And then there are the times where you work closely with somebody and Joe’s particularly good at this I think, if I talk about lessons learned from him, which I can talk a lot on that, he’s always been a good shoulder to lean on,” Capito said.
She also said that whenever they would be on the senate floor they would be caught up in conversation about their families and what’s going on in West Virginia.
Alicia Knapp
And Alicia Knapp, President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Renewables, said that she has admired him because of he has been a strong force for West Virginia.
“I’d really admired Senator Manchin as a strong advocate for the people of this state,” Knapp said. “During his time in the U.S. Senate he constantly stood strong for the state even when doing so went against party norms. In many cases he was the driver of compromises that produced bipartisan policies that pushed the country forward while protecting West Virginians and the issues they hold dear.”
Manchin said that everything that he has done, has been done with the people of West Virginia in mind, because it’s all about the people in West Virginia.
Joe Manchin speaking at event honoring him
“42 years, having the privilege to be able to serve my state, and all of my friends and my constituents, I consider everybody whether they be democrat, republican, independent I never looked at parties, party affiliation, it’s the people, that’s what West Virginia is all about,” Manchin said.
He also expressed that he was blessed to have been able to get these opportunities to serve West Virginia in the way that he has.
“I was a House of Delegate member, state Senator, Secretary of State, Governor and then finish up as a senator,” Manchin said. “And I don’t know of anyone who could have been more blessed to have that many opportunities to understand what we’re about and who we are.”
And he said that for the energy industry, he was proud that West Virginia is a little bit of everything and that they he, along with energy companies, has been able to bring jobs to the state.
“We’re a little bit of everything, that’s what it’s all about today. You’ve got to open your minds up, gotta open your opportunities up, and we’re doing that in West Virginia, we’re not leaving anyone behind. If you want to stay in our state, and if you want to work in our state then we should have a good job for you,” Manchin said.
Some of the things that Manchin has helped with was the bipartisan infrastructure package, Mountain Valley Pipeline and most recently Appalachian Regional Hub.