The Register-Herald: Hearing Offers West Virginians A Platform To Make Voices Heard

Op-Ed

By Sen. Shelley Moore Capito

In West Virginia, our electricity generation and economic success is closely linked to the health of the coal industry. Coal fuels our energy and manufacturing sectors, it keeps the lights on in our schools and hospitals, and it helps fund our state and local governments.

Coal is the lifeblood of our economy and a source of great pride for countless West Virginians trying to make a good life for their families, just like the generations of coal miners before them.

It is no secret to anyone in southern West Virginia that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed unprecedented -- and illegal -- regulations aimed at decreasing carbon emissions by making it nearly impossible to use coal.

These regulations are part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, and they threaten to wipe out West Virginia's vital coal industry.

Since taking office in January, I have been hard at work alongside my colleagues on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee pursuing legislative options for reining in the EPA's overreach and stopping this assault on West Virginia's coal jobs.

Last month, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe came before the EPW committee to discuss the agency's proposed carbon regulations for new and existing power plants. I asked her to explain why the EPA did not hold a public hearing on its proposed climate rules in West Virginia, despite the large role coal plays in our economy and multiple invitations from federal and state legislators.

She told me public hearings were held where people were "comfortable" going.
While it may be uncomfortable for EPA officials to face the coal miners whose very livelihoods are threatened by these misguided regulations, West Virginians deserve the opportunity to make their voices heard. This is why the Senate EPW committee is holding a field hearing in Beckley today.

As chairman of the EPW Committee's Clean Air and Nuclear Subcommittee, I will lead an open and robust discussion about the cumulative impacts of the EPA's carbon regulations in the nation's second-largest coal-producing state.

The hearing, "Regional Impacts of EPA Carbon Regulations: The Case of West Virginia," will feature testimony from witnesses speaking on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America, a local manufacturing business owner and one of West Virginia's largest electric utilities.

These witnesses will discuss the proposed regulations' many negative impacts on energy production, electricity generation and cost and economic development throughout the state.

In 2013, coal provided 95 percent of West Virginia's electricity and was responsible for 89,000 direct and indirect jobs within the state. The president's proposed climate action plan will drastically reduce these coal-related jobs, substantially increase energy prices and reduce reliability, which could lead to rolling brownouts and blackouts.

While there is no question that we must take steps to protect our environment, it simply cannot be at West Virginia's expense.

Several West Virginia entities have submitted public comments sharing this opinion.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection called the proposal "patently illegal" and has urged the EPA to abandon its unlawful efforts.

The state of West Virginia is also the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the EPA's authority to limit carbon from coal-fired power plants. Oral arguments in the case West Virginia v. EPA are scheduled before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit next month.

And while the state pursues all available legal options, the new, Republican-led U.S. Senate is working to identify actions we can take at the congressional level to fight back.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I co-sponsored the Protection and Accountability Regulatory Act of 2014 to nullify the regulations on existing coal-fired power plants. As a member of the Senate EPW Committee, I am bringing West Virginia's voice to the table as plans for reining in these regulations continue to be crafted.

The conversation about how to balance our environment and economy is critical. This field hearing brings that conversation directly to the coal fields of southern West Virginia. Today, West Virginians will have our chance to stand up for our economy, our jobs and our generations-old coal mining culture.

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