Urges swift passage in U.S. Senate

CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Coal Association (WVCA) today applauded passage yesterday of HR 2018, the "Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011," in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“HR 2018 is a bipartisan bill that would rein in the Obama EPA and end the agency’s destructive abuse of authority and restore the balance needed to get America working again,” said Bill Raney, President of the WVCA. "The West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal would like to thank everyone for their support of HR 2018. This bill has major implications for the 63,000 West Virginia families whose livelihoods depend on mining coal.”

CHARLESTON -- "This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2018, the "“Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011." HR 2018 is a bipartisan bill that would rein in the Obama EPA and end the agency’s destructive abuse of authority and restore the balance needed to get America working again.
 West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall sponsored the bill with Rep. John Mica of Florida. West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Capito and Congressman David McKinley lent their support the legislation. The bill passed the House by a vote of 239 to 184. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.

"The West Virginia Coal Association and the Friends of Coal would like to thank everyone for their support of HR 2018. This bill has major implications for the 63,000 West Virginia families whose livelihoods depend on mining coal. In recent years, the Obama EPA has used the CWA permitting process to block coal mining in Appalachia, however coal mining isn’t the only industry threatened by EPA’s arrogance. Quarries, farmers, and commercial, residential, and infrastructure construction projects also receive CWA scrutiny and are affected by EPA’s abuse of its authority.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed out of Committee by a recorded vote of 35-20 the “Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011” (H.R. 2018). 

HR 2018 is a bipartisan bill that would rein in the Obama EPA. It would bring an end to the agency’s destructive abuse of authority and restore the balance needed to get America working again. The bill has major implications for the Friends of Coal and the 63,000 West Virginia families whose livelihoods depend on mining coal.

BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Everett "Brownie" Carson invokes powerful imagery when describing mountaintop removal operations, in which coal companies use explosives to crown mountains and access the resources inside.
"I'm a Vietnam vet, and it reminded me of Agent Orange," Carson said. "Once they blow these mountain tops off, the water's undrinkable, the streams are polluted, the properties are devalued, the schools close."

WVNS

ICG was recently acquired by Arch Coal. By Andrea Lannom A former senior vice president, secretary and general counsel at International Coal Group, has decided to rejoin Jackson Kelly, the firm announced July 5 in a news release.