West Virginia’s Senate Majority Leader, Truman Chafin of Mingo County, earlier today offered his views of how the state’s congressional delegation should get the Obama administration to lay off the mountaintop removal mining permits …
It’s simple: Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., should use his powerful slot as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee to block health-care reform legislation unless the White House tells the federal EPA to back off.
Here’s Chafin, on MetroNews Talkline, the statewide radio show hosted by my buddy Hoppy Kercheval:
I think Sen. Rockefeller is the person who can probably get some stuff done.
He has such tools in his arsenal in terms of legislation. This health thing is critical to the Obama administration, and he’s a major player there. One change by him could perhaps change that entire bill.
He can probably hold that up or make a big difference in what the administration wants.
Chafin gave quite a speech last month at the Army Corps of Engineers mountaintop removal hearing in Charleston. And Hoppy is quite taken with a letter in which Chafin had this to say about members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation who supported Obama during the 2008 election:
And to our congressional delegation and governor, who supported and endorsed President Obama, well, this chicken has now come home to roost. It is now time they call ‘in’ their political note for their support.
Of course, 15 years ago, Chafin was yelling around the Senate floor about coal companies taking millions upon millions from West Virginia’s notorious Super Tax Credit program while coal employment was plummeting. Never mind now that those tax credits helped some operators buy the huge mountaintop removal equipment that helped them increase production and reduce their workforce.
You also have to wonder about Chafin’s understanding of the nation’s economic problems … I’m not economist. But I have been listening recordings and reading transcripts the last week or so in which executives of the nation’s major coal producers talk far more about the worldwide recession than they do EPA permit reviews as hindrance to their industry.
And Paul Krugman at The New York Times is an economist. And he’s just one of many economists who explain that out-of-control health-care costs are one of the — if not the – biggest problem facing our economy.
But who knows … maybe Sen. Rockefeller, who has for years been a major advocate of health-care reform, will take Chafin’s advice. I asked Rockefeller’s press office for a response. I’ll let you know what they say.
Subscribe to the Coal Tattoo
I’m no expert on Congress, and maybe Truman Chafin isn’t either.
But I don’t think Commerce Committee had anything to do with either Senate health care bill. The bills are out of committee now anyway and in Harry Reid’s hands. I suppose Rockefeller could refuse to vote for cloture–in essence, joining a Republican filibuster. But that seems odd since he’s on the liberal side of the health care debate.
If that don’t work, what’s next? Holding Afghanistan war funding hostage to coal?
Of course, Sen. Rockefeller is also the second-ranking Democrat on Finance…and those positions, and his seniority — and longstanding interest and expertise in health-care issues — give him a powerful say over this legislation. He’s part of the leadership and he can throw that weight around if he wants to do so…
Rockefeller’s not only the 2nd ranking committee Democrat, he chairs the committee’s sub-committee on health care. But none of that stopped Max Baucus from locking him out of the process as the Finance Committee bill was written. He wasn’t in the gang of six. Olympia Snowe had much more influence on the final bill than Rockefeller. Rockefeller was upset with excise taxes on “Cadillac Plans” in the bill and supported a public option, but I assume he ultimately voted for the bill in committee anyway. (I don’t know how to find the votes.)
But, you are right. All Senators, especially ones with as much seniority as Rockefeller have powerful levers to pull.
Chafin’s suggestion shows a lack of understanding about the current state of Congressional health care reform legislation. That horse has already left the barn. It’s down to House and Senate reconciliation committees and then a handful of up-or-down votes.
Just about the only thing Sen. Rockefeller could do at this point is threaten to filibuster the legislation he’s been working really hard to get passed. If he did, he’d look really foolish and would undermine his ability to negotiate on behalf of W.Va. interests in future legislation like the energy / climate change bill.
Am I crazy? Didn’t this state vote *against* Obama? Why does Truman Chafin think that Obama owes a debt to our federal electeds who failed to get him WV’s 5 electoral votes?
[...] Blogs @ The Charleston Gazette – » Chafin: Rocky IV should block health care over MTR blogs.wvgazette.com – view page – cached West Virginia’s Senate Majority Leader, Truman Chafin of Mingo County, earlier today offered his views of how the state’s congressional delegation should get the Obama administration to lay off… Read moreWest Virginia’s Senate Majority Leader, Truman Chafin of Mingo County, earlier today offered his views of how the state’s congressional delegation should get the Obama administration to lay off the mountaintop removal mining permits … Read less [...]
You can see now why this State didn’t vote for him. As President of the United States he is doing what he said he would do in one of his speeches. He is going to pressure coal out of business by regulation, legislation or taxation.
[...] Corps of Engineers permit hearing/pro-coal rally.Vining and Harvey didn’t sound much like state Sen. Majority Leader Truman Chafin, either. Vining even appeared to acknowledge the conclusions of a previous Coal Tattoo post, that is, that [...]