CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Coal Association is praising President Donald Trump for issuing a new domestic energy plan that will replace the Obama-era “clean power plan” that would have decimated the American coal industry.
“The good news just keeps on coming from the Trump Administration,” WVCA President Bill Raney said. “And for this good news to come on a day when he will be visiting West Virginia makes it even more significant because our coalfields were ground zero for the Obama Administration’s war on coal. It will be an honor to be in Charleston tonight with President Trump when he announces his plans to replace the Obama “Costly Power Plan” with a true domestic energy policy that will protect American jobs.”
During Trump’s rally at the Charleston Civic Center tonight, the president is expected to highlight the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s replacement of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), an Obama-era set of regulations that would have made it far more difficult, if not impossible, to use coal as a fuel source for electricity in the United States and put thousands of our coal miners out of work.
The EPA is replacing the CPP with a more reasonable set of regulations that still will aim to reduce carbon dioxide air emissions, relying on plant-by-plant evaluations to determine the best path forward for individual facilities to increase efficiency and lower emissions, rather than seizing control of the nation’s entire electric grid from the power plant to the wall plug.
“The coal industry has proven time and again that we are the best environmentalists out there,” Raney said. “U.S. coal plants have reduced toxic air emissions by more than 90 percent over the last few decades. We are committed to continuing to make improvements while protecting America’s domestic energy security and, most importantly, to keep our West Virginians working.”
West Virginia is headed in the right direction and there is much to celebrate. Our unemployment rate is low, job growth is high, we anticipate a budget surplus for the first time in years and our workforce participation rate is improving. And this is just the beginning.
Our teachers received a historic raise. We are seeing an incredible amount of infrastructure development. Road and bridge construction is underway at an unprecedented rate and multiple interstate natural gas pipelines are being developed, which will help grow our state’s gas industry and the jobs it provides.
Gov. Jim Justice is leading the charge with President Donald Trump to assure mining and power plant jobs are retained in West Virginia. The Trump-Justice Plan will ensure the safety of America’s power grid while helping grow our economy here at home.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Coal Association had the opportunity to join Gov. Jim Justice in publicly thanking President Donald Trump for taking historic action to protect the American coal industry.
During a press conference June 7 at the West Virginia State Capitol, Justice and WVCA Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton explained to news media the importance of Trump’s June 1 directive to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry.
Taking inspiration from the Justice’s energy plan and the governor’s public commitment to rebuilding West Virginia’s coal industry, Trump ordered Secretary Perry on June 1 to take immediate steps to protect the viability of American coal-fired and nuclear-fired power plants. Hamilton said the Trump-Justice plan calls for federal incentives to prevent the closure of additional plants. Any additional closures would weaken the nation’s electrical grid even further and risk continued reliable delivery of electric power to American homes and businesses.
Things continue to be difficult for a number of coalfield families this Christmas season and the wonderful ladies of the Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary are doing everything they can to help these families have as good a holiday as possible through their “Giving Hearts” Program. Their program provides toys, new clothes and food to the less fortunate in schools, housing projects, churches and deployed military families. Last year, the Ladies were able to provide a bountiful Christmas to 27 families, who were in dire need and were most appreciative.
As I’ve said many times, “These ladies are unbelievable. The tremendous job they do to make sure people are provided for…..that’s just representative of our coal industry”. They “NEVER QUIT” working on our industry’s behalf with well-known agencies to identify the families and to verify their needs as well as the needs of those families whose breadwinner is deployed on active military duty and away from home.
This, of course, takes money and the Ladies are in desperate need of financial assistance in order to properly carry out their humanitarian representation of our industry for these families. I ask that you please consider a contribution to help the Ladies show everyone that COAL continues to CARE through their worthwhile “Giving Hearts” Program. Of course, any amount would be most appreciated.
The Friends of Coal Ladies Auxiliary is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization to which personal and corporate checks can be written and mailed to P.O. Box 1109, Beckley, WV 25802. Contributions can also be made by clicking the “DONATE” button on their webpage, www.friendsofcoalladies.com, where more details of their activities are described. Regina Fairchild, Chairwoman of the Ladies Auxiliary asks that you contact her at rf961@suddenlink.net or 304-673-2995 if you have questions or need more information.
