FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear is appealing to President Barack Obama to change federal policies that he says are costing jobs in Kentucky's coal mining industry.
In a letter to Obama earlier this week, Beshear said the EPA is knocking Kentuckians out of high-paying jobs by obstructing the opening of new mines and the expansion of existing ones.
The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, was a follow-up to a meeting last week between Beshear and Obama.
Beshear said the EPA has unduly delayed 75 mining permits in eastern Kentucky that would have created crucial jobs at a time when the nation is struggling to pull out of a national recession.
The governor urged the president to help find a reasonable way to protect the environment while supporting the mining industry.