This statement just came in from the office of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.:
WASHINGTON—Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., made the following opening statement at today’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming’s hearing titled, “The Role of Coal in the New Energy Age”:
“Mr. Chairman, thank you for hosting today’s important hearing.
“Even though today’s hearing focuses on the role of the coal industry in the new age, I think it is important for us to recognize the sacrifice miners make to provide the energy and power so many of us take for granted.
“Last week’s mine disaster at Montcoal, WV that killed 29 miners was the worst in the U.S. coal industry in 40 years.
“Just four years ago, 12 people were killed at the Sago Mine disaster in my district. With the investigation underway and as further details are available on the cause of the accident, we must continue our commitment to keep our miners safe.
“The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster only furthers people’s poor image of mining and has led many to discuss the future of coal.
“Coal is a prime energy source throughout the world. Fast-growing countries such as China and India rely on the low-cost fuel to meet their electricity demand.
“Here in the United States, coal is our nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource with recoverable reserves sufficient to last 250 years. Coal currently fuels more than 50% of all electricity generation in the United States.
“In my home state of West Virginia, 98% of our electricity comes from coal.
“It provides 125,000 direct high-paying jobs for U.S. coal miners and supports hundreds of thousands of additional jobs throughout the supply chain.
“When considering the future of coal in the global warming debate, the first thing that we need to remember is that climate change and energy policies are inextricably connected with economic, environmental and social issues.
“Last year, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I did not support the legislation because I believe it stood to push energy prices upward and threaten an economy that is already in trouble.
“A tax increase on carbon dioxide emissions will come directly out of customers’ pockets in the form of higher electric rates.
“Manufacturing output would also fall considerably. Manufacturing firms who have traditionally relied on low and stable electric rates in our states will be subject to massive cost increases, likely forcing them out-of-business or to relocate their operations overseas.
“Instead, we need to do much more accelerate the development of advanced clean coal technologies, including and most importantly, carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS). Carbon capture is important to West Virginians and ensuring our national energy independence. Without it, we deprive ourselves of the most effective tool for addressing CO2 emissions from coal.
“We need to provide sufficient funding and incentives to accelerate the development, demonstration and broad commercial deployment of CCS technologies.
“The American Electric Power Mountaineer Plant located in New Haven, WV represents an important milestone in our efforts to bring CCS online. The facility began operations last fall and captures and stores approximately 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The Mountaineer Plant is the first demonstration of CCS from an existing coal-fueled power plant.
“The implementation of CCS technology will not only benefit a state like mine with jobs and revenue, it will also benefit our nation by making clean coal a reality.
“In addition to climate change, coal has been the subject of continued federal scrutiny for its impact on water quality.
“Recent action by the Obama Administration and the EPA to further scrutinize mining permits only confirms their anti-coal agenda.
“The Minority Staff of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works initiated an investigation into EPA’s handling of Clean Water Act Section 404 permits for coal mining in Appalachia and found that in 2009, EPA froze 235 coal mining 404 Permits, claiming that additional time was needed to assess the environmental impacts of mining operations.
“Since the initiation of the investigation, EPA issued 45 of the 235 permits. To date, there are 190 permits that EPA continues to hold for operations including surface, underground and refuse operations.
“Furthermore, decisions being made by federal environmental regulators are not focused enough on the importance of coal to the economy. In my conversations with Lisa Jackson, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, she said that she explicitly omits economic considerations from her decision-making process.
“I find this particularly troubling. The EPA’s delays in handling these permits will jeopardize jobs in Appalachia and weaken energy security for the nation.
“Even more disturbing, on March 26, the EPA announced their intent to veto the existing Spruce Mine permit. The Spruce permit is the most scrutinized and fully considered permit in West Virginia’s history. The 13-year permitting process included the preparation of a full environmental impact statement.
“In the course of the permit’s review, EPA had ample opportunity to review and comment on the mine’s decision. The EPA also had the chance to use its veto authority at the time the permit was issued instead of waiting until production had started.
“The decision by the EPA to veto the Spruce permit brings into question the reliability of the entire permitting process and shows their complete disregard for the impacts it will have on West Virginia’s economy.
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“she said that she explicitly omits economic considerations from her decision-making process.” Ms.Capito –The name of her agency is the Environmental Protection Agency as you well know. She is not supposed to have any economic considerations. Perhaps you are way to concerned for the money that flows freely from Big Coal into political campaigns and buys judges. Coal mining will be here for awhile continuing to pollute the state and kill miners and citizens, but we need to back it down, stop destroying the mountains and look real hard at clean jobs for the future. Think about clean air, clean water, clear lungs and no more cancer clusters!
Ms Moore stated “In my home state of West Virginia, 98% of our electricity comes from coal.
“It provides 125,000 direct high-paying jobs for U.S. coal miners and supports hundreds of thousands of additional jobs throughout the supply chain.”
That probably would be much different if the state of West Virginia didn’t have a law on the books that prohibits the use of Hydroelectric power.
In wood county we have a Hydroelectric power plant on the Ohio River but no West Virginian is able to use the power. It only benefits Ohioans. Soon there will be a Hydroelectric pant built in Pleasants County and not one West Virginian will benefit from the power produced. Again only Ohioans benefit. Just in case you don’t know the Ohio River is a part of West Virginia. Repealing this absolutely ridiculous law should be an issue in the upcoming election and not one candidate that I can find is discussing it.
This is embarrassing…
“Here in the United States, coal is our nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource with recoverable reserves sufficient to last 250 years. Coal currently fuels more than 50% of all electricity generation in the United States.”
#1) The power available from the sunlight that hits the US each day is a more abundant energy resource.
#2) I’m pretty sure that last USGS report said 100 years at current usage, but even that is now considered an optimistic estimate.
#3) Haven’t seen the numbers lately, but wasn’t it more like 45% in the last 12 months?
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s inability to get even the basic facts right in prepared Congressional testimony brings into question the reliability of her entire decision-making process and shows a complete disregard for factual analysis of the West Virginia economy.
Congresswoman Capito :
We Ohions wont be dependant on coal much longer : Contracts have been let for several wind stations in Lake Erie, to supply electricity at a cheaper rate. This will encourage new business to locate in the Buckeye state. The backup oower needed will be done by a nuke plant near Cleveland. Its time West Virginians did some soul searching about their future. Coal will not be in the picture.
Representative Capito would have a little more credibility if she didn’t blindly do whatever Representative Boehner tells her to do.
Clem is right about her testimony being embarrassing. Not only did she get the numbers wrong about how much coal we have left and the percentage of US electricity derived from coal, she also neglected to mention that the highly-touted Mountaineer CCS experiment only captures one percent (1%) of the CO2.
How many of those “125,000 jobs” employ West Virginians?
I have heard under 16,000, and many of those are surface coal miners, brought in from out of town to keep union organizers from being effective.
West Virginia’s resources being grabbed for the benefit of the few. Sounds familiar. And, big baron’s usual way of divide and conquer works- so long as we let it.
Stand together miners. You deserve better.
Wind and water power are sustainable, safe resources to “mine”. Demand a future for our people.
Instead of maintaining West Virginia’s economic reliance on coal mining, Ms. Caputo and other WV legislators should be working on projects to diversify West Virginia’s economic base. The mining industry’s ties to WV’s legislators are far too great in comparison to its destructive and polluting practices upon WV’s environment and doctrinaire approach to miner’s health and safety. Mountaintop removal mining is abhorent and leaves the state permanently scarred and polluted. It is inevitable that the water pollution associated with mining and coal preparation plants will leave a lasting, negative imprint on the health of West Virginians. It is very depressing to see how the coal operators have exploited the people of WV and how they continue to get away with it thanks to the support of Ms. Caputo and her colleagues.