Charleston Gazette - January 12, 2010

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia's leading lawmakers said Tuesday that protecting the coal industry will be their priority during this year's regular legislative session, which starts Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, said the Obama administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are taking a "harsh stand" against coal. 

"They have a whole new attitude about the coal industry," Chafin said Tuesday during the West Virginia Chamber's 2010 Legislative Issues & Outlook Conference in Charleston. "We just have to stand united."

While news out of Washington largely centers on the debate over health care reform, another issue-climate change-is heating up discussion. In Senator Jeffrey Kessler's opinion, it is critical that West Virginia Senators oppose the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade climate legislation that passed the House earlier this year and awaits action in the U.S. Senate in the form of the Kerry-Boxer bill.

Before delving into this proposed bill and it's lasting effects on West Virginia, first it may be useful to further understand what cap-and-trade climate legislation is. By the Conservation Law Foundation's definition, cap and trade is an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants. Central authority, such as a governmental body, sets a limit-or cap-on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) which represent the right to emit a specific amount. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from those who pollute less. The transfer of allowances is referred to as a trade. In effect, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions by more than was needed.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=514118

Cap-and-trade in Australia — which just a week ago was declared a certainty — is officially dead.

This is the first major climate change turnaround anywhere in the Western world, with significant implications for our domestic debate.

Combined with the Climate-gate e-mails revealing the data suppression and deceit underpinning "scientific consensus," the whole climate change alarmism house of cards is coming crashing down.

Early last week, the leader of Australia's conservative opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, announced that he had reached agreement with the government to implement cap-and-trade, thus binding his party to support it in parliament en bloc.

The agreement was signed, sealed and delivered — cap-and-trade would become law with bipartisan support.

Its passage was a certainty. The elite rejoiced.

Chris Hamilton and Michael Carey warn that pending federal "cap-and-trade" legislation and increased U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intervention will cripple the coal industry.

Hamilton, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, and Carey, president of the Ohio Coal Association, brought their concerns to Wheeling Tuesday during a Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Business/Coal Forum Luncheon at WesBanco Arena, where Wheeling Mayor Andy Mckenzie and chamber President Terry Sterling welcomed attendees. Hamilton focused much of his attention on what he called "the EPA's assault on coal and war on mountaintop mining."