The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register

No wonder President Barack Obama and fellow radical environmentalists have been emboldened to open new fronts in their war against coal. When senators from states that rely directly or indirectly on coal can be counted upon to support the campaign, the White House has every reason to be confident.

And when party loyalty trumps concern for constituents among most Democrats in the U.S. Senate, Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency can feel perfectly secure.

CHARLESTON -- The following statement was issued by Bill Raney, President of the West Virginia Coal Association, in response to Senator Jay Rockefeller's vote on Wednesday to help defeat (46-53) a resolution (S.J. Res 37) that would have blocked implementation of EPA’s Utility MACT rule:

"West Virginia's coal mining community is extremely disappointed in Senator Rockefeller’s vote yesterday in the U.S. Senate against a resolution (SJR 37) that would have disapproved the EPA’s Utility MACT rule, the most expensive rule ever proposed by this agency.  It was a bad day for the industry, our people and consumers throughout West Virginia.  We are even more disappointed by Senator Rockefeller's speech on the floor of the Senate in which he questioned the coal industry's commitment to our people, their health and safety and the future of our state.  I can tell you, with confidence, that there is nothing more important to our members than the safety of their employees, their long term health and the wellness of their families.  To suggest otherwise is absolutely disingenuous.

As Senator Inhofe’s press release pasted below notes, the Senate will vote next Wednesday, 20^th June, on S. J. Res. 37.  Also note that major business groups such as NFIB are supporting the resolution because they recognize that the Utility MACT Rule is not primarily an attack on one industry or one area of the country; it is an attack on consumers and the American economy.

As Momentum Builds, Inhofe Announces Date for Utility MACT Vote 

National Federation of Independent Business, Senator Landrieu Join in Effort to Stop EPA War on Coal

Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced today that he anticipates the Senate will vote on his resolution (SJR 37) to stop the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Utility MACT rule - the centerpiece of President Obama's war on coal - on Wednesday, June 20.  Senator Inhofe noted that the momentum of support continues to grow ahead of the vote: the National Federation of Independent Business has publically backed Senator Inhofe's resolution. This news comes just as Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) announced that she will vote for the measure, joining Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) in support of Senator Inhofe's efforts.

Congressman McKinley will be offering a Motion to Instruct (MTI) Conferees next week to the Highways’ Bill Conferees asking them to continue bipartisan negotiation and to resolve this legislation instead of pulling the “fly-ash” provision and hoping a separate bill could be passed later on.  With the pending lawsuit and the fact that the Obama Administration did not issue a veto threat against 2273 when it passed the House in October or when it was included as an amendment to the House Highways’ Bill, Mr. McKinley plans to offer the MTI on the House floor to again show the bipartisan support for this measure.