CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Reaction to President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which calls for a decrease in carbon emissions in order to combat climate change, came quickly this week, as reported in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Many policymakers in West Virginia are threatening legal action in what they see as an attack on the region’s already-struggling coal industry.
Coal production has been on the decline for years, particularly in central Appalachia, in large part due to the huge increase in natural gas production, much of that right here in West Virginia. As Ted stated in the article, “coal is running out of customers and we need to adapt our economy to one that produces more clean energy that customers want. A crucial aspect of ensuring that the Clean Power plan works for West Virginia will be the ability of our congressional delegation to push strongly for investments to help coal communities diversify their economies and protect the pensions and benefits of coal miners.”
