CHARLESTON – West Virginia Coal Association has issued the following statement in response to today’s EPA’s announcement of new GHG regulations for existing power plants.
“Today’s announcement of new GHG regulations by President Obama’s EPA is just another slap in the face by an administration that has gone on record with the intent to shut down coal-fired power generation in this country. Though expected, this announcement is nonetheless disappointing in that it makes it clear that all the pleas of our people of the past six years have fallen on deaf ears.
“This rule is bad – like the one for new plants that came before it. It is bad for West Virginia – and for our coal miners -- because it thumbs its nose at them, just like it thumbs its nose at Congress in making these rules. Make no mistake, this is a political battle. It is not a technical battle. This lack of respect for our coal and our coal miners has been clearly shown by the actions of the EPA in making this decision without even attempting to get the input of the people of the coalfields. Further, no hearings are scheduled for West Virginia.
“The uncertainty that has been perpetrated on our industry in WV, as well as the entire Appalachian region, for the last six years has been paralyzing. It’s been equally paralyzing on the states that use our coal.
“Today’s announcement fails to recognize the tremendous progress that’s already been made with power generation in our state and across the nation. Our utilities have taken the lead over the past ten years, providing enhanced air quality, increased efficiencies and the installation of state-of-the-art technologies. SO2 has been reduced by 70% and NOx by 64% and unbeknownst to many – CO2 by 21%. And the sad thing is that it will have little to no impact on world CO2 levels. Europe has tried this and it didn’t work. Now these countries are returning to coal.
“For Americans – all Americans – these policies will bring higher electric bills and with them higher costs for all goods produced here in the United States. In West Virginia fewer tons of coal mined means less money for the state. It means less money for the miners’ retirement programs, abandoned land restoration, black lung and regulatory programs. And of course it means fewer jobs for West Virginians.
“For every coal miner that loses his job we lose a piece of West Virginia. We lose payroll, taxes, hospitalization and contributions to miner’s retirement funds. EPA talks about the impact this rule will have on health, well, people are healthier when they have a job and have access to quality health insurance. This rule will take away that security for thousands of West Virginia families.
“Right now, approximately 3,000 West Virginia coal miners who were working two years ago are out of work today due to the uncertainty created by this administration’s policies and those lost jobs have impacted tens of thousands of other West Virginians. When you travel through the coalfields, you can see the reality of that impact. Today’s actions will only add to those numbers.
For additional information, visit www.wvcoal.com or contact the West Virginia Coal Association at (304) 342-4153.