Friends of Coal Spokesman and former West Virginia University Head Football Coach Don Nehlen joined West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney at an August 18th “Rally in the Valley” in Moundsville to protest the Obama Administration’s “War on Coal.” Nehlen said those in Washington who regulate coal need to come to West Virginiaand get to know the industry better. He also believes the key to the industry's survival is voting out President Barack Obama in 2012.
It was noted during the rally that the U.S. coal industry is actually booming, as producers are exporting much of their product to foreign countries that continue to use coal. "It makes no sense," Nehlen told the crowd. "Everybody wants our coal. We're one of the few countries where our natural resources are treated like a liability, and that's ridiculous.”
"I'm just a football coach, I don't know how to turn things around," he continued. "But I can vote that guy (President Barack Obama) out of the White House. That's a start." Raney said West Virginia has "the best coal and the best coal miners" in the world. No one outside West Virginiahas any idea how important West Virginia's coal and coal miners are to them, he said. "If the people in New York andWashington, D.C., had any idea their standard of living was dependent on a coal miner in West Virginia, their behavior would be different," Raney said.
He credited West Virginia's congressional delegation - singling out freshmen members Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. - for their work on behalf of the industry.