Coal Continues to be Major Issue in Virginia

Congressional Hearing highlights Virginia's frustration with the Obama Administration's regulations

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Alpha Natural Resources President Paul Vining, testifying at a congressional hearing today in Abingdon, Va., said, "While there is no question that our industry is being detrimentally impacted, I would respectfully assert that this is not just a war on coal. What we are experiencing is a war on affordable electricity, a significant building block of American prosperity, and it will be American consumers, small businesses and an already struggling domestic manufacturing sector that will pay the price in the years ahead."

Vining's statement was among several others at the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power field hearing to examine the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)s New Source Performance Standards for greenhouse gas emissions. More than 300 people attended the hearing, which was held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va. Many in the crowd identified themselves as supporters of the "Count on Coal" campaign. Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Phil Roe (R-TN) were in attendance and made remarks critical of the Obama Administration's EPA and the hostile actions and decisions EPA has made against coal and coal jobs.

Chairman Whitfield opened the hearing by commenting, "If I were to point to a single Obama administration policy that I want to stop more than anything else, it would have to be the war on coal. Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency has cranked out one costly anti-coal regulation after another. Everything from mining the coal to using it for power generation to recycling the fly ash into construction materials is under assault. Today, we will discuss the cumulative impacts of all of these rules, and especially EPA's proposed Greenhouse Gas New Source Performance Standards for electric generating units. Overall, we can't rely on the courts to save our economy and preserve our way of life. Congress needs to act to protect coal and those who depend on it."

U.S. power plants generate more electricity using coal than any other energy source to meet the nation's electricity demand. Coal is America's most abundant and affordable energy resource.  Since 2009, however, the Obama administration's EPA has been advancing a number of major environmental regulations that significantly affect both existing and future coal plants and cumulatively impose billions of dollars in new costs and compliance requirements with little environmental benefit. 

About Count on Coal:  Count on Coal is dedicated to educating communities about the value of coal to America and to enlighten lawmakers about how coal keeps our electricity rates low with America's most abundant and affordable energy resource. For more information, visit www.countoncoal.com.

SOURCE Count on Coal

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