Mountaintop Mining Coalition Comments on Lawsuit Against Obama EPA

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that his administration will file a federal lawsuit against the Obama Administration and the U.S. EPA in an effort to stop the war against Appalachian coal being waged by the president and his administration.  Coalition Co-Chairs Chris Hamilton and Roger Horton joined representatives of the United Mine Workers of America and several other labor and industry organizations for the announcement at the State Capitol. 
 
Hamilton said the state has been pushed into this lawsuit by the Obama Administration’s tone deafness to the concerns of West Virginia’s coal mining families.  “Litigation is always the last resort and today’s lawsuit follows 18 months of repeated attempts by this governor and industry to find some sort of common ground,” Hamilton said. “And it could have been avoided if Obama and the EPA had shown any concern about the people of our state and our region. It could have been avoided if they had truly brought us into the process and listened to our input, our concerns and our perspective.  “We made every effort to talk to and engage EPA and the administration in meaningful dialogue on this issue,” Hamilton added. “At no time did they seem the least bit interested in hearing anything but the sound of their own voices.” 
 

Horton, who himself works on a mountaintop mine site, said it is important to understand that the actions of the Obama Administration and the EPA impact not only mountaintop mines, but all surface mines, underground mines and anything that requires someone move some dirt around.  “I have said it before and I will say it again, what EPA has been doing for the past couple of years is nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism,” Horton said. “They are intentionally inflicting pain and suffering on our people. They are sending parents to bed worried about whether they can pay their bills or keep their homes. They are endangering our children. They are putting our futures and those of our children at risk … and they are doing it intentionally. What else can you call it but terrorism?” 
 
Hamilton and Horton said they welcome the decision by Gov. Manchin to move forward with the lawsuit.  They said Gov. Manchin has provided common sense leadership throughout the process and has been willing to do whatever it takes to protect our state’s working coal miners, their families and communities.  Horton and Hamilton said they are seeing a broad consensus developing across our region that opposes the radical agenda of the Obama Administration and the EPA and the hyper-partisanship that has paralyzed Washington, DC for the past few years. “Our people want change,” Hamilton said. “They want common sense, responsible leaders who care more about their country than about allegiance to some political party or some political agenda. It is good to see that West Virginia has one of those leaders in Governor Manchin.  He has always been there for us when it counted. Today was no different.”