The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are holding up lawful mountaintop mining permits in Appalachia, forcing viable coal operations to a screeching halt as they try to dig out of a regulatory black hole.
When state governments are facing major budget shortfalls because of the weak economy, the federal government should not discriminate against companies that provide highly-paid jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue to the states in which they operate.
When nationwide unemployment is at its highest level in years, the government should not place chokeholds on thousands of jobs by creating bureaucratic logjams, or use regulatory roadblocks to advance the environmentalist agenda.
The reality is that we need coal – for jobs and for affordable energy. Mountaintop mining has proven to be a safe and environmentally and economically responsible mining method. In Appalachia, it’s the right method for balancing our equally important needs for good paychecks, affordable energy and protected environment.
Everett Aistrop
Dryden, Va.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement