Obama’s War On Coal Continues…

President Obama has never understood the value of the coal industry or the American jobs that go along with it. Ever since he first ran for president, he has sought to punish this industry by taxing it into oblivion. Remember how he said, as president, coal-powered plants would go “bankrupt?”

Well, Reuters is out this morning with a new story detailing how President Obama’s disastrous energy policies are bankrupting coal country. In it, miners and small business owners who rely on coal talk about how the Obama Administration’s onerous regulations are taking a toll on the industry.

“Coal mining pride is on display in the Ohio Valley now more than ever, especially since Obama rededicated himself to wind and solar power in his second inaugural address on January 21. “Fire Obama” signs still stand in front yards three months after the election. Miners attach “Stop Obama’s war on coal” stickers to their helmets.

 

“Obama and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency see coal-fired power plants as a dangerous source of emissions. (Electricity generation accounts for about 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, the EPA says, with coal-fired plants polluting the most.)

 

“To [Leon] Lieser and [Robert] Murray, coal brought jobs and wealth to the Ohio Valley, and they fear Washington will regulate them out of business.

 

“Murray is lobbying Congress to stop rules including one from the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) aimed at protecting streams from the adverse effects of coal mining; a Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) proposal for stricter requirements on the dust levels allowed in mines; and EPA rules to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

 

“Energy industry experts expect Obama will sidestep Congress and use executive power to enact his second-term environmental agenda. By April, they say, the EPA could issue carbon emission standards for new plants that would effectively prevent new coal-fired generators from being built. Next would come a more controversial effort, setting standards for existing plants, a measure sure to provoke industry lawsuits.”

 

Obama’s EPA is out of control. His administration is making it harder and harder for people like Leon and Robert to survive economically. This has been a trend throughout his presidency.

It’s time to stand up and fight back for an industry that Americans depends on.