CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than a dozen state legislators met at the Capitol Monday to praise a bill by U.S. Sen. Shelly Moore Capito that seeks to fight federal clean energy regulations.
Many feel that the regulations further hurt the coal industry, and the bill aims to block EPA legislation that seeks to substantially limit greenhouse gas emission. House Speaker Tim Armstead said Capito’s Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act, or ARENA, is a good first step toward saving the coal industry.
“We have seen a tremendously devastating effect that the War on Coal has had on West Virginia communities and people that work in our coal mines and our energy industry,” Armstead said. “We all recognize that something has to be done, and it’s incredibly important that we work together.”
WV Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton said that between hours cutbacks and layoffs, miners are facing truly desperate times, and legislators have to show that they’re doing something to fight for their cause.
“It’s important that they see that there’s a core of state legislators and our state political leaders working on their behalf,” he said. “They’re doing everything they can to push back on these rules.”
Fifteen states including West Virginia have brought a lawsuit upon the legislation. Senate President Bill Cole thought that ARENA had the power to make a difference if the states in opposition continue to stand together.
“Not only is it important for us to get behind it as a state, but all the coal-producing states need to be behind this legislation,” Cole said. “I think ARENA could be a game-changer for the coal-producing states.”
Cole concluded by pointing out that if the Obama Administration could target coal as a fossil fuel, natural gas could be next on the list and the line has to be drawn now.
Twenty-seven senators have co-sponsored the bill, with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin the sole Democrat.