Mining coal. It’s a tough job. And so dirty it once attracted Mike Rowe. I have an amusing story about how dirty it
is, but today is not a day for amusing stories. Being a laid-off miner is in no way amusing.
Today there are 1200 more laid-off miners. Bristol Virginia based Alpha Natural Resources has just announced the closing of eight mines in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
This comes hard on the heels of Consol Energy’s recent decision to close Buchanan #1 mine, creating 900 unemployed Virginia miners. Today’s announcement also impacts Buchanan County, along with Wise to bring Virginia’s 9th Congressional District laid-off miner total to 1300. Within the past few weeks.
Morgan Griffith has this to say:
“The newsworthy issue lies with the additional burdens the Obama Administration is placing on folks like Alpha. As I’ve said before, President Obama, his Administration, and his allies – like MoveOn.org and the Sierra Club – are all very clear about their agenda – make using coal history. Take a minute to think about that. A group of government bureaucrats have decided the coal industry isn’t something that they like, so they’re going to try to force it out of business. This is appalling and it must stop. I and others in Congress will fight them. For all the hundreds of hard working men and women miners affected by today’s news and impacted by this agenda, please know that I stand with you. I’m proud to represent you. I’m proud to stand with coal. And I will continue to relentlessly fight against President Obama and all those who wage war on the coal industry.”
George Allen has been a long-time champion for sensible energy policies and he said:
“I’m saddened to hear of three more coal mines closing in Virginia because I know how much these jobs mean to families and all the hard-working people in Southwest Virginia. These closures will harm jobs for all the contractors and suppliers of the mine operations. This will have a detrimental effect on railroad jobs and all Virginians may have to ultimately pay higher electricity bills. Unfortunately, these mine closures are only the latest examples of how Washington’s regulatory assault on coal is turning Virginia’s coalfield communities into ghost towns. The political appointees of the unelected, unaccountable EPA are effectively banning coal through excessive, overreaching regulations that are forcing coal mines to shut down. My opponent’s advice on energy regulations is ‘don’t try to weaken’ them, while he has championed a Cap-and-Trade energy tax scheme that would further eliminate coal jobs and cause electricity prices to skyrocket. As a friend of coal, I am committed to standing up for the hard-working people of Southwest Virginia and ending Washington’s assault on coal that is hurting Virginia jobs, families and communities.”
According to an article on TriCities.com, Alpha CEO Kevin Crutchfield made a presentation to the Rotary Club of Bristol a week ago.
Alpha Natural Resources CEO Kevin Crutchfield made a “moral and economic case” Tuesday for coal usage in the U.S.
The head of the Bristol-based coal company said the industry is going through a turbulent period due to both market conditions and proposed regulations. The price of natural gas has declined significantly in recent years and many utility companies have switched power plant production from coal to natural gas. This has decreased demand for coal and led to layoffs in the industry.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we have seen the last of those,” Crutchfield told members of the Rotary Club of Bristol, VA/TN.
He’s referring to EPA regulations that effectively mimic “cap and trade. Even with Rick Boucher and Tom Perriello helping to get it passed, it failed in the only legal way it could be passed. President Obama didn’t stop there though. His EPA is accomplishing it in a probably illegal manner.
UPDATE: Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling has released this statement.
“Today’s news that Alpha Natural Resources is being forced to lay off 1,200 employees and close eight mines due to the Obama administration’s attack on coal is devastating. These hard-working Virginians are being forced out of work because of increasingly stringent EPA regulations. At the same time that President Obama has gone after the coal industry, our nation’s economy and job growth continues to lag. This is absolutely the wrong policy. We should be increasing America’s energy independence, garnering our natural energy resources, and encouraging private sector job growth. Today’s horrible news for these families is Southwest Virginia is more proof that we need new leadership and new direction in the White House – we must elect Mitt Romney and George Allen in November. As the son of a coal miner who grew up in Southwest Virginia, I know firsthand just how devastating these layoffs are to the region and the families affected. We stand ready to work with Alpha and our local partners to give these laid off workers access to other opportunities.”
I’ve heard nothing today from Tim Kaine or Anthony Flaccavento, both ardent supporters of President Obama and cap and trade, so we can assume they are cheering a well thought out plan coming to fruition. Candidate Obama promised us this in 2008:
I have no idea what those three think of the families of those coal miners, the mom and pop stores, the gas stations and convenience stores, the theaters and libraries, and all the other small businesses located near and dependent on coal mines. I’m guessing it ain’t very much.
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