Well, so much for keeping your powder dry — and for what I’d been told: That is, that Rep. Nick J. Rahall wasn’t going to comment on the Obama EPA’s latest action ordering a more thorough review of 79 strip-mining permits in Appalachia.
Rahall’s office issued the following statement this afternoon:
EPA must use a transparent process based on current law and regulation for the consideration of these permits. The applicants must know what the rules of engagement are, and the benchmark must be within the realm of reality. I am also calling on the Departments of Labor and Energy to closely monitor this situation to ensure there is not massive job loss in the coalfields and that our Nation is not deprived of the West Virginia coal many regions depend upon to generate electricity.
And, Rahall’s office released copies of letters the congressman wrote to DOL and DOE on this issue.
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Interesting. Today he’s standing up for coal and the jobs and affordable energy it provides for his state, and tomorrow he’s holding a hearing on legislation he authored to make it more difficult and more expensive to put Americans to work producing oil and gas on taxpayer-owned lands on and off our shores…
The laws of this country are transparent….all we citizens ask is that the application of these laws is also transparent, and that they are equal to all.
If they can inject toxic waste into the ground, why can’t I and everybody else doe the same? If they can cause flooding. why can’t I? If they can side step laws and regulations, then why can’t I?
Look, environmental compliance does not cost jobs, it creates them. Why can’t people see that if we push the mining refuse off the top of mountains we are losing jobs. If we haul the refuse back up the mountains it creates jobs, capital investment, and a better place to live.
Let the laws be followed by all. If it costs some more to mine and produce coal, so be it. A majority of this coal is being exported anyway. Let the cost of coal be transparent and consistent with the cost of cleanup, Mr. Rahall.
As a taxpayer, I am tired of coal companies using public dollars being used to clean up coal mining debacles. If the State DEP won’t protect West Virginians, the EPA must.
Mr.Rahall, stand up for West Virginia workers and create /enforce corporate requirements to mitigate damages in a safe, sustainable, and job creating manner.
Rahall (and most WV politicias) have decided that the people who live near coal have to be sacrificed. Why don’t they just come out and say it.
It is interesting that all we hear from our elected officials and mining companies and their employees is that coal keeps the lights on. If coal is that important to our own way of living, and given that it is a finite resource, why is so much of our WV coal being exported out of the United States? Why are our mountains being leveled, our water poisoned and people sickened to export coal out of this country? What good is that doing for this country and her people as a whole? I would love a valid answer to these questions, but I am not holding my breath.
Nanette, the vast majority of wv coal stays in country, most in the northeast and northeast. Most export coals are low and high vol met coals. Meaning high quality coaking and industrial coals. Most of which goes to europe. Our steel industry has upgraded for the most part to electric arc furnances which use electricty to melt scrap steel. Other countys like eastern europe still use older steel mills that must have high quality coke and wv coal is the best in the world. Some of which is 75 to 80 percent pure carbon. Some industrial uses are for some plastics and processes that use high consertration of carbon. The cement industry surprisingly uses some coal.
I had called Rahall’s office last week and asked him to support Lisa Jackson and the EPA looking more deeply into these permits. My call was taken by a very nice young man.
Well, yesterday when I got the mail there was a letter from Rahall’s office. I opened it and lo and behold it started out by saying this
“Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of March 24 to review applications for mountaintop removal coal mining permits. I appreciate hearing from you.”
WHAT???? I called them to ask them to support the actions of the EPA not oppose them!!!
It appears that he has his mind made up and already has these letters ready to go to all of his constituents regardless of how they feel about this issue.
I will be calling his office again today and I am going to read that letter and ask them why I was sent a letter like this.