Obama Supports Coal Industry

By Rick Boucher

Much attention has been focused recently on which of the candidates for President has a record of supporting a strong future for coal – an industry which is vital to the economy of Southwest Virginia.

Sen. Barack Obama has always been and will continue to be a strong friend of coal. He understands that our access to affordable, clean, domestic energy is closely linked to national economic restoration, and the creation of new jobs, our nation’s security and the promotion of environmental quality.

Let’s talk about the facts.

Time and again Sen. Obama has acted on his belief that developing clean coal technologies is essential to America’s energy future. He introduced legislation in the Senate to speed the introduction of carbon capture and sequestration technology, and he was chief sponsor of a budget amendment that adds $200 million in order to advance that critical technology.

In 2005, Sen. Obama reached across the aisle to work with Republicans for legislation that provided $85 million over five years to promote technologies that use coal to produce transportation fuels in an effort to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs right here in America. He shares my view that our plentiful domestic coal reserves should be used to create liquid fuels that can be burned in place of imported petroleum in car and truck engines, and he has acted on that belief.

He also supported legislation to provide $1.8 billion in tax credits for clean coal technology. The other candidate for president voted against those vital coal tax credits.

As President, Obama will help link industry and government to bring clean coal technology to the market.

It’s an investment in the people of Southwest Virginia. Obama’s plan would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years in clean energy technology to create 5 million new jobs – with good pay and good benefits.

He will fight to make coal a clean, essential part of our energy strategy by developing five, first-of-the-kind, coal-fired plants with carbon capture and sequestration technology.

Those are just some of the reasons the United Mine Workers of America have endorsed and are strongly working for the election of Sen. Obama as President.

I’m supporting Barack Obama because I strongly believe that he is the candidate who will best serve the people of Southwest Virginia.

One of the ways that he has demonstrated that is through his commitment to developing the technologies necessary to make use of our vast reserves of coal in a way that both creates jobs and protects our environment.

I am supporting Barack Obama because I know that what he says here in Southwest Virginia is consistent with what he’s already done in the U.S. Senate.

In less than two weeks, you have to choose between two candidates with two very different views about the direction for our nation. In the case of coal’s future, the contrast could not be more dramatic.
Barack Obama has been right on coal.

Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, is the Ninth District Representative in U.S. Congress.