A Useless and Contrived Study On Coal Meant to Support Obama's Coal Plant KIlling

Duke University recently released a study that has almost no use whatsoever.  The study indicates that if South Korea would stop using its own coal sources and start importing US coal, it could save America's coal industry.  They also guess that, even accounting for the long transit, that it could reduce the so-called "greenhouse gases" by 21 percent.

What they mean by "save" is interesting.  Although South Korea does rely heavily on imported gas, oi, and coal, the country is slightly smaller than the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  It currently ranks 11th in use of energy, but it utilizes a lot of imported gas and oil.

Do the Duke researchers mean that South Korea alone could preserve all US coal jobs?

Most likely, if US coal fired plants all go off line, the coal will go to the Third World and China.  Many backers of EPA regulations against coal fired plants in the US also back construction of unregulated plants in poor countries.

Tim Carney, currently with the Washington Examiner reported that this scheme was at the heart of Enron's demise.  When George W. Bush refused to sign on, it helped the company collapse.

In other words, EPA regulations kill relatively clean US coal plants.  Environmentalists rejoice.  World coal prices dip.  New coal plants open in developing countries with no regulations whatsoever.  World pollution gets worse thanks to the US EPA.

The Duke study, like many academic products, only posits what will happen if they waved a magic wand.  It has no real world use.

Time For the RNC and Old Big Labor to Have a Sit Down

Big Labor for generations reflexively supported the Democratic Party with financial support and people power.  In the 20th Century, this symbiosis worked well.  It gave their party almost lockdown control of the House of Representatives and almost the same stranglehold on the Senate.

Democrats owned Congress for much of the time between the Great Depression and the 1990s because they supported labor.  They portrayed Big Business as opposing the interests of the working man.  Working men and their supporters lined up to vote for the commoner's party.  Republicans, they reasoned, didn't get the worker.

Workers did not leave the Democratic Party, but the Democrats at the national level left them.  Obama's allegiance to billionaire Big Green businessmen continues to stall a Keystone pipeline that will directly benefit the pipefitters' union among many others.  Before that came the war on coal.  Blue collar voters who once temporarily ditched the Democrats for Reagan, but did not change affiliation, now see the GOP as a permanent home.  Stephen Moore, economic analyst from Heritage Foundation notes that Republicans stand to gain in many currently blue or purple states just as they have in West Virginia.

Moore also says that only two groups oppose Keystone, Democrats who make over $100,000 per year and Democrats with postgraduate degrees.

Certain unions benefit from the new regime.  Service workers and auto workers have reaped huge state based rewards.  Mining and other manufacturing sectors have seen government policy try to drive them from the economic map.

It is high time that the GOP leadership and union bosses like Cecil Roberts have a quiet chat about mutual interests.  They don't have to like each other, but Obama and Green Democrats are the common foe.

West Virginia's Budget Situation May Not Be As Secure As We Thought

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University released a study this week that rated states' financial conditions.  West Virginia, which has done relatively well in the past decade, actually rates as one of the worst states in the nation in terms of solvency.

This study does not rate what has been done in the past, but speculates on both the near future and the next several years.  It asked:

Can a state easily access enough cash to pay its bills?

Can it consistently create enough revenue to pay its bills?

Can it cover long term obligations?

Can it continue to provide an adequate level of services?

According to Mercatus, West Virginia's financial position is fairly fragile.  Some of the reasons stem from the severe drop in coal production due to Obama Administration policies.  The state also shot itself in the foot by signing up for the expansion of Medicaid encouraged by the federal government.  Initially federal money would cover the costs, but eventually the state must assume the burden.

Revenues are dropping but the state has expanded its entitlement burden without considering the cost. Obama's bad policy and state Democrats' poor judgment threaten to undo the financial security West Virginia has enjoyed for the past several years.

Clearly the state needs leadership that is not tied so tightly to the Democratic Party.

Is the EPA Afraid of West Virginia?

List of cities where the EPA will hold hearings on carbon dioxide emissions, including from coal power plants.

Notice that none are in West Virginia or any other major coal producing state.

Outrageous.

Cecil Roberts needs to join with the West Virginia Republican Party and demand a hearing in West Virginia.

What Is the EPA Hiding and Why?

Secrecy is essential at some levels of government.  The CIA, NSA, Department of Defense, and other agencies must hide at least some of what they do to effectively promote national security.  The FBI cannot release information about ongoing criminal investigations.  

But why does the Environmental Protection Agency have or need a culture of "secrecy and evasion?"

The Daily Caller examined a blistering report by Senate Republicans that relates several shady practices.  It refused to answer some Freedom of Information Act requests.  When it did, it redacted the necessary information.  EPA officials also used secret email accounts to communicate on policy.  These would be more difficult for journalists and other investigators to uncover.

Courts have slapped down EPA overreach before.  An Obama appointee ruled that the EPA acted improperly when it revoked a Logan County coal operator's permit.  Although an appeals court reversed the ruling, the Supreme Court may likely rule in favor of the operator.  The EPA is currently battling a Hardy County farmer because, among other things, it claims that her farm produces too much dust. It also criticized a judge's ruling to allow the Farm Bureau to join the suit.  Of course without the resources of the Farm Bureau, the farmer might not be able to continue to pay lawyers to keep the fight going.

Even mine workers' union leader Cecil Roberts used colorful language to describe the EPA's intent to kill the coal industry.

The EPA uses intimidation by lawsuit, secretive tactics, and other methods to attack property rights, family farms, and profitable businesses.  This brings negligible benefit to the environment, but expands the control of Washington bureaucrats over lives and jobs.

Time to bring transparency to bureaucracy.  The EPA does not just wage war on coal or family farms, but against the rights of individuals to responsibly make decisions about their property and states to enforce reasonable regulations.

Another Take on Obama's EPA Attacks on Coal and Power Plants

Obama's attacks on power plants and coal mining threaten to take us back to the bad old days, as described by many state historians.

Many historians, chief among them John Alexander Williams of Appalachian State bashed the early industrial development of the state.  Most who have ever taken West Virginia history have been taught that companies extracted wealth, shipped it out, and the state never got any benefit.

First off, that assertion is wrong.  Historians and others blame the lack of sufficient taxation.  But how much could the state have raised taxes before eliminating the competitive advantage enjoyed in attracting the companies in the first place?  Benefit comes through the attraction of supporting and satellite industries that expand the ripple effect of wealth extraction.

Coal, timber, and oil companies did bring added economic value to extraction.  They employed workers and professionals.  Some satellite industries, such as paper mills, grew up in the area.  Some railroads were built to support the transport of materials in and out. Could the state's community of capital and political leaders have done a better job in enticing other industries to come in? Certainly.  But to say there was no benefit is wrong.

There are at least three stages to development of wealth in extractive industries like coal.  First comes the work to get the coal from the ground.  Second comes the processing of the material into something useful.  A hundred years ago, coke, iron, and steel production used tremendous amounts of coal.  Now, much of the coal produces electric power for this part of the nation.

The third part comes in dissemination of the final products.

Unlike our forefathers, the state has succeeded in getting companies interested in taking West Virginia coal and turning it into a useful product within the borders of the state.  That would be crucial electric power.  Huge facilities such as at Mount Storm and John Amos employ hundreds of state residents in good paying jobs.  This is the best way to make sure that the wealth derived from coal stays in the state.  Make sure that as much of the production process as is possible remains in West Virginia.

Add to that the fact that cheaper power helps to produce advantages that state officials can use when trying to woo new companies to the state.

But Obama and his EPA have looked at every way possible to shut these plants down, which will have the result of removing wealth and productivity from the state.  Whatever coal gets mined will be shipped away with minimal added value to the state and the people.

Exactly what state historians bemoaned about the early industrial period.

Hopefully. West Virginia Democrats made it clear in their EPA meetings that they will not stand for Obama kicking the legs from underneath our chair, economically speaking.

Putting Too Much Trust In Flawed Science Can Bring Bad Consequences

Sometimes science based on incomplete knowledge causes no harm.  Not too long ago, the Mid-Atlantic braced for what experts predicted would be a massive and destructive storm of wind, heavy rain, hail, and dangerous lightning.  Some changed travel plans while others stocked up.  The front passed with less sound and little fury, but residents were relieved at the mistake.

Science will always suffer from errors because it springs from the mind of humanity.  Nothing worldy exists in a state of perfection and no human or collection of people cannot account for every variable.  Science at best is the most educated guess possible based upon years, decades, centuries, or even millenia of analysis, experience, and observation.  That being said, sometimes science proceeds with less tested and known ideas.

This Forbes piece describes what happens when agendas take over in science.  The pressure to not be wrong creates situations where even lives may be lost because of the reluctance to admit failure.  In this case, the head of a study on ways to protect the heart during non cardiac surgery screwed up the results and covered up the dangers.  Many lives were lost to standards and practices based on bad medicine.

Obviously the researchers had agendas above and beyond truth and patient safety.  That is the other variable in science.  People bring in worldviews and goals that have little to do with scientific fact.  Drug companies have an incentive to push pills, so their motives should always be examined.  Those benefiting from huge grants for studies have to answer for money that they get from advocacy groups.

The general public and the media optimally should examine variables and incentives for certain results that can skew science.  Also, one must look at the possible harm caused by making decisions based upon flawed studies.

In the case of the controversial research on climate change, too many scandals, agendas, and bad research have clouded the results.  Leftist politicians want people to accept new regulations that hurt jobs, productivity, and wealth production.  They want the US to accept even more economic disadvantages even while the future is threatened by accelerating debt and rising prices. 

Any war needs a solid cause, not a constant shifting of reasons.  The War on Coal was launched on the supposed certainty of global warming.  Now that the Earth has been shown to not be warming over the past 15 years, they switched to "climate change."  This absurdly ignores the fact that the main climactic constant is change, showed by the Little Ice Age of 1350-1750 (dates approximated), for example.

Science is not shamanism.  It relies on imperfect minds and sometimes imperfect motivations.  When shown to be beneficial, we should use it.  But when we have reason for skepticism, we must ask science to study further.

Is the EPA's War on Coal Distracting It From Real Public Safety Threats?

The Environmental Protection Agency has pushed hard against West Virginia coal companies and farmers. It has pushed miners out of work over the questionable and controversial "climate change" agenda.  Power plants are slated to shut down in many areas due to draconian new regulations.  At the same time, EPA bureaucrats have, with mixed success, launched regulatory broadsides against family farms. But in their zeal to promote certain agendas, have they neglected proven threats to the environment and public safety?

Most people do not consider what happens when they discard electronics.  E-waste, as it is often called, contains deadly materials such as mercury and cadmium that can leach into the water supply.  Because disposal can be difficult, 70 percent of the world's electronic trash has ended up in China.  There, many make a dangerous living washing off old parts in hydrochloric acid, and working directly with mercury coated components.

Press coverage has forced the United Nations and others to watch the illegal traffic more closely, meaning that growing piles of material remain in the United States for legal disposal.  A major snag, however, lies in the fact that the EPA has not established guidelines for disposal.

A Washington Guardian report shows that in 2009, the US handled 1.77 million tons of material.  It was incinerated, or otherwise disposed of.  The EPA's inspector general, however, claimed that "EPA does not have adequate information to ensure effective E-waste management and enforcement to protect public health and conserve valuable resources."

Furthermore, the EPA has very little data on how waste is stored, or what is done with it. Even the cathode ray tube guidelines implemented under the Bush Administration have not been enforced well, due to declining budgets.

The EPA does its best work when it responds capably to proven threats to public safety.  Therein, it justifies its existence and budget.  Unfortunately, it appears that its zeal to adhere to the unproven theory of climate change may be putting public health at risk.

Witness For the Prosecution and Congresswoman Capito's Outrage

George Zimmerman may or may not be found guilty. But the prosecution in his trial in retrospect took a huge chance when they billed Rachel Jeantel as a star witness.

She proved a problematic witness on many counts.  Her voice and style of speech flustered the court reporter, jury, and television audiences.  At one point she could not read a letter that she had supposedly written.

The Daily Mail posted a long story detailing the problems undermining the credibility of Jeantel.

Defense lawyers grilled her on her own inconsistent testimony as well as racial slurs used by the victim Trayon Martin to describe Zimmerman.

In other news, now former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested on charges of murder this morning.

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Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito released a statement yesterday expressing the outrage that she shares with other members of the congressional delegation, as well as many West Virginians.  Obama's proposal to circumvent Congress to impose unconstitutional environmental regulations was called by Capito a "tyrannical . . . job killing plan."

Representative David McKinley and Senator Joe Manchin have released similarly strong statements.

Shelley Moore Capito Once Again Fights For Coal and Manufacturing Against the Bureaucrats

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Capito Demands Answers From EPA
6/14/11

Today, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., wrote a strongly-worded letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency demanding the agency show proof that jobs were considered when issuing new regulations for coal-fueled power plants over the past year.

Capito’s letter comes on the heels of frustrating news that American Electric Power will shut down five plants in West Virginia and Ohio, resulting in job cuts and higher utility costs across the board.

“The way I see it, either the EPA did not run proper analysis or the administration knew the rules concerning coal-fueled plants would cost jobs and increase utility costs and still went ahead anyway. Either way, this is unacceptable,” stated Capito.

Despite sluggish economic growth, an unsustainably high unemployment rate, and a market so plagued with uncertainty that businesses cannot even fathom hiring or expanding, the administration has insisted on continuing its assault on the energy industry which employs millions of hard-working Americans.

“Whether its providing cheap gas so companies don’t have to pass their costs onto consumers, or keeping home utility prices low so Americans can spend money on other things, or employing millions of workers to exploit resources found right here in America, the energy industry quite literally powers the American economy,” stated Capito. “Especially in West Virginia, the energy industry provides an important source of tax revenue for local and state governments and our manufacturing and service industries benefit from low cost electricity, making them more competitive.”

Specifically, Capito requests “copies of all internal memoranda, communication, analysis, and documents regarding the EPA’s consideration of the impact on economic activity and employment (cumulative and non-cumulative) related to these rules and regulations.”

ATTACHED:Capito letter to United States Environmental Protection Agency

BACKGROUND

Last month, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., introduced H.R. 1872, the “Employment Protection Act,” which would require the Environmental Protection Agency to take into account jobs and economic activity prior to issuing a regulation, policy statement, guidance, implementing any new or substantially altered program, or issuing or denying any permit—essentially any action taken by the EPA.

Capito Letter to EPA ( 06/14/11 10:49 AM PST )

Congressman McKinley Introduces Bill to Limit EPA Attacks On Coal

For Immediate Release:January 26, 2011Contact: Katie Martin, 202.525.0589 Katie.Martin@mail.house.gov

McKINLEY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO STOP EPA FROM VETOING EXISTING PERMITSBi-partisan bill co-sponsored by West Virginia’s Capito & Rahall, other coal-country repsPresses administration official on outrageous EPA power-grab at subcommittee hearing
Washington, D.C. – Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV) filed legislation (H.R. 457) Wednesday that would remove the EPA’s authority to retroactively veto an existing Section 404(c) Clean Water Act permit. The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) to explicitly prevent the EPA from revoking a permit under the Act after one has been issued by the Secretary of the Army.
McKinley’s first piece of legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Bob Gibbs (R-OH), and would be retroactive to January 1, 2011 – thereby reinstating the Spruce Mine No. 1 permit in southern West Virginia revoked two weeks ago by the EPA. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has announced plans to file a similar piece of legislation soon.
“For years, the EPA has been bullying coal companies and the workers they employ,” said McKinley. “But this isn’t just about the Spruce Mine. If their new policy of retroactive revocation is allowed to stand, dozens of heavily-regulated industries and hundreds of thousands of American jobs hang in the balance. Businesses will not invest in new projects and create new jobs if they know that regulatory agencies can ignore existing permits and arbitrarily pull the rug right out from under them. This has to stop.”
Also Wednesday, McKinley pressed the chief White House regulatory official on the EPA’s decision on Spruce Mine. At the request of Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, McKinley asked chief White House regulatory official Cass Sunstein a series of questions at a hearing of the subcommittee. Under the congressman’s questioning, Sunstein acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court has generally frowned upon retroactive regulatory action and promised to follow up with more information on the EPA’s actions and the propriety thereof.
Earlier this week, McKinley sent a letter to Stearnsrequesting that the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee call the EPA in front of the panel to directly answer questions about the chilling effect its decision would have on the American economy.
McKinley concluded, “We have a long way to go in this fight. This is just the first step. But the Obama administration and the EPA are now on notice that we will not sit idly by while their arrogance kills West Virginia jobs and threatens thousands more across the country.”

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West Virginia Legislature Is Poised to Retaliate In the War on Coal

The original Constitution established a balance of power between the federal government, states, and the people. Protections in the original seven articles. such as state selection of senators and the Electoral College, helped to create that balance. The Tenth Amendment in no uncertain terms protected the rights of states against federal encroachment.

Over the past century, we have seen this balance erode. Popular election of senators seems more democratic, but it leaves state governments subject to congressional action while having no voice in the process. The expansion of the Interstate Comnmerce Clause to form the basis of the Civil Rights Acts was necessary only in that situation, but it has formed the basis of federal regulatory action in a wide variety of areas. Executive orders have become a dictatorial function; witness Obama's theft of over a hundred thousand acres of Alaskan land last week.

Individual Americans and state governments have passively watched these transformations for decades under the assumption that the intentions behind the accumulation of power were good. Most of them likely were intended to increase comfort and prosperity. Under Obama, however, the executive rbanch has a new agenda. It wants to slice away at American manufacturing and redistribute wealth within America and around the world. It has no problem creating artificial shortages of energy and rising prices by restricting coal and oil production. It seems to want the third world to gain more manufacturing jobs at the expense of Americans. Regulatory law has become an intolerable burden on so many facets of society from education to business. The EPA, as we have said time and time again, has made it worse.

When the federal government abuses its power, states must stand up. Governor Rick Perry of Texas refused to accept federal education dollars in exchange for giving more authority over curriculum over to the federal Department of Education. And now West Virginia is showing states how to fight the War on Coal.

Delegate Gary Howell (R) 49th is poised to introduce a bill next month that will limit the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency in West Virginia. It will deny the EPA jurisdiction over coal operations that only sell to a consumer in West Virginia. For example, if a mine only sells to the massive John Amos power plant near Charleston, its operation only falls under state authority instead of federal. This limits the scope of the EPA and potentially every federal agency if the model is followed in other areas. If passed, it could redefine the relationship between states and the federal government, restoring some of the lost balance intended by the Founding Fathers.

Some will ask if we can be sure that our environment will be protected by the state as thoroughly as the federal government. My answer is that West Virginia voters will have a lot more input on environmental policy if the state is controlling it. The EPA is as far removed from state voters as the Queen of England. It forgets that it is part of a federal republic beholden to the people. State governments will not. They will recognize the conservation agenda that balances the needs of man and of nature, not the radical environmentalists who would see West Virginians drop back to the stone age.

We must get the word out about the Intrastate Coal and Use Act both within West Virginia and around the country. This could be one of the opening shots in a true political revolution.

Potomac Highlands Patriots Hold Another Successful Rally

The Keyser based Potomac Highlands Patriots held a huge rally at the Grand Central Business Center in Keyser complete with music, candidates, and informational speakers. Well over one hundred attended the rally to hear speeches touching on family values, the economy, and Obamacare.

The PHP have been very active in this election cycle, holding rallies and erecting billboards in support of candidates. Under new president Monroe Johnson (perfect name for a Tea Party leader) they will soon have a website put up as well.

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Meanwhile, Shelley Moore Capito, among others, blasted the latest War on Coal outrage. The EPA once again decided to toss coal miners out of work to advance the Obama agenda, this time in Logan County. Capito called it a "gross overreach of federal power."

Capito Speaks on Energy, Once Again Defends West Virginia and Its Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: AshLee Strong(202) 225-2182 or (202) 450-9695 ashlee.strong@mail.house.govApril 14, 2010 Capito on the Coal Industry’s Role in the ‘New Energy Age’Opening Statement at Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming WASHINGTON—Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., made the following opening statement at today’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming’s hearing titled, “The Role of Coal in the New Energy Age”:
“Mr. Chairman, thank you for hosting today’s important hearing. “Even though today’s hearing focuses on the role of the coal industry in the new age, I think it is important for us to recognize the sacrifice miners make to provide the energy and power so many of us take for granted. “Last week’s mine disaster at Montcoal, WV that killed 29 miners was the worst in the U.S. coal industry in 40 years. “Just four years ago, 12 people were killed at the Sago Mine disaster in my district. With the investigation underway and as further details are available on the cause of the accident, we must continue our commitment to keep our miners safe. “The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster only furthers people’s poor image of mining and has led many to discuss the future of coal. “Coal is a prime energy source throughout the world. Fast-growing countries such as China and India rely on the low-cost fuel to meet their electricity demand. “Here in the United States, coal is our nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource with recoverable reserves sufficient to last 250 years. Coal currently fuels more than 50% of all electricity generation in the United States.
“In my home state of West Virginia, 98% of our electricity comes from coal. “It provides 125,000 direct high-paying jobs for U.S. coal miners and supports hundreds of thousands of additional jobs throughout the supply chain. “When considering the future of coal in the global warming debate, the first thing that we need to remember is that climate change and energy policies are inextricably connected with economic, environmental and social issues. “Last year, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I did not support the legislation because I believe it stood to push energy prices upward and threaten an economy that is already in trouble. “A tax increase on carbon dioxide emissions will come directly out of customers’ pockets in the form of higher electric rates. “Manufacturing output would also fall considerably. Manufacturing firms who have traditionally relied on low and stable electric rates in our states will be subject to massive cost increases, likely forcing them out-of-business or to relocate their operations overseas.
“Instead, we need to do much more accelerate the development of advanced clean coal technologies, including and most importantly, carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS). Carbon capture is important to West Virginians and ensuring our national energy independence. Without it, we deprive ourselves of the most effective tool for addressing CO2 emissions from coal. “We need to provide sufficient funding and incentives to accelerate the development, demonstration and broad commercial deployment of CCS technologies. “The American Electric Power Mountaineer Plant located in New Haven, WV represents an important milestone in our efforts to bring CCS online. The facility began operations last fall and captures and stores approximately 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The Mountaineer Plant is the first demonstration of CCS from an existing coal-fueled power plant.
“The implementation of CCS technology will not only benefit a state like mine with jobs and revenue, it will also benefit our nation by making clean coal a reality. “In addition to climate change, coal has been the subject of continued federal scrutiny for its impact on water quality. “Recent action by the Obama Administration and the EPA to further scrutinize mining permits only confirms their anti-coal agenda. “The Minority Staff of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works initiated an investigation into EPA’s handling of Clean Water Act Section 404 permits for coal mining in Appalachia and found that in 2009, EPA froze 235 coal mining 404 Permits, claiming that additional time was needed to assess the environmental impacts of mining operations.
“Since the initiation of the investigation, EPA issued 45 of the 235 permits. To date, there are 190 permits that EPA continues to hold for operations including surface, underground and refuse operations. “Furthermore, decisions being made by federal environmental regulators are not focused enough on the importance of coal to the economy. In my conversations with Lisa Jackson, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, she said that she explicitly omits economic considerations from her decision-making process. “I find this particularly troubling. The EPA’s delays in handling these permits will jeopardize jobs in Appalachia and weaken energy security for the nation.
“Even more disturbing, on March 26, the EPA announced their intent to veto the existing Spruce Mine permit. The Spruce permit is the most scrutinized and fully considered permit in West Virginia’s history. The 13-year permitting process included the preparation of a full environmental impact statement. “In the course of the permit’s review, EPA had ample opportunity to review and comment on the mine’s decision. The EPA also had the chance to use its veto authority at the time the permit was issued instead of waiting until production had started. "The decision by the EPA to veto the Spruce permit brings into question the reliability of the entire permitting process and shows their complete disregard for the impacts it will have on West Virginia’s economy. “I look forward to hearing the testimonies from the panel.”

Capito Questions Obama at House Republican Conference

Congresswoman Raises Coal, Cap-and-Trade

WASHINGTON – House Republicans invited President Obama to address their conference this morning and – after making his remarks – the President took questions from Republican Members of Congress, including a question from Rep. Shelley Moore Capito:

REP. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO: “Thank you Mr. President for joining us here today. As you said on your… in the State of the Union address on Wednesday, jobs and the economy are number one. And I think everyone in this room, certainly I, agree with you on that.

“I represent the state of West Virginia. We're resource rich. We have a lot of coal and a lot of natural gas.

“But our… my miners and the folks who are working and those who are unemployed are very concerned about some of your policies in these areas: cap-and-trade, an aggressive EPA and the looming prospect of higher taxes. In our minds, these are job-killing policies.

“So I'm asking… if you would be willing to re-look at some of these policies, with the high unemployment and the unsure economy that we have now, to assure West Virginians that you're listening.”

The full exchange accessed here

Capito Welcomes Ruling on Fola Coal

Miners Will be Able to Continue Mining Operations

CHARLESTON – Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released the following statement this afternoon in response to news that Judge Chambers has granted Fola Coal an extension that will allow miners to continue work at the Clay County site:

“This is welcome news for the community and welcome news for miners in Clay County,” said Rep. Capito, who joined Governor Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., in visiting the Clay County mine earlier this month.

“For nearly 500 miners facing the prospect of losing their jobs, today’s ruling offers new hope and an opportunity for resolution that does not involve massive job loss.

“As coal remains at the forefront of the legal and regulatory debate, we must continue to stand together on behalf of our miners and our mining communities.”

The "N" Word

Federal action against coal operations in West Virginia has put hundreds of men and women out of work and denied the state its share of potential revenue. The Environmental Protection Agency has initiated a War on Coal to destroy mining operations. Right before Christmas, an EPA action resulted in the layoff of five hundred in Clay County.

What can the State of West Virginia do in response?

This may seem painful, but a way might exist to constitutionally void federal regulations. That is nullification.

Nullification doctrine first emerged in the 1830s from the mind of John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. Federal import taxes raised prices on manufactured goods, crippling farmers. Calhoun suggested that the state legislature pass an ordinance nullifying the tariff within the boundaries of the state. President Andrew Jackson met this action with a military deployment. Since then, nullification of a law passed by Congress has been seen as unconstitutional.

What about state legislative nullification of a federal agency regulation or executive order? The Constitution does recognize Congress's right to pass binding legislation. It does not recognize regulatory law or presidential executive orders. State governments are under no obligation to abide by these so called laws. In fact, the Tenth Amendment protects states from many of the laws that Congress uses to bind their actions today.

All states have to do to regain their sovereignty is to swear off of federal funds for anything. At that point, Congress has very little authority over what a state can or cannot do. West Virginia cannot arrest federal officials inspecting or making reports, but it can pass acts preventing the enforcement of executive branch regulations. Swearing off of federal funds does mean a huge drop in money for roads, schools, and other items. However, the drop in money is offset by the fact that the state no longer would have to spend countless resources on paperwork and unfunded federal mandates.

Nullification is a last ditch tactic because it will provoke a serious contitutional crisis. Thousands will gather soon in Austin, Texas to ask their governor to do that very thing. In the name of freedom, strong steps may have to be taken. The election of 2010 will go a long way towards moving back to a Republic, or forward to crisis.

Capito Reacts to Idling of Clay County Mine

Ambiguity from EPA, Courts Leaves Miners in the Lurch

WASHINGTON – In light of reports that as many as 300 employees may face layoffs at a Clay County coal mine, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released the following statement:

“Today’s news is a sobering reminder that continued uncertainty surrounding mine permits poses a serious threat to jobs across our state. We’re talking about real families now forced to ponder the future of their jobs and their livelihood. These are not abstract consequences in some far away land; these are our friends and neighbors. These are hard-working West Virginians.

“This mine provides the vast majority of Clay County’s tax-base and is its largest employer, making the prospect of Fola shutting down troubling at best and economically devastating at worst.

“Though today’s sad news stems from action in our courts, we know that the practical differences between delays at the hand of the courts or at the hands of the EPA are few and far between. While some would have us believe that the EPA and government regulators are simply ‘doing their job,’ it is becoming quite clear that the combined impact of litigation and regulatory uncertainty poses a severe threat to the economic climate of our state.

“As the President proposes his new so-called ‘jobs bill’ and heads off to Copenhagen to tout the EPA’s new ruling on carbon, perhaps he should consider the economic impact his policies will reap in the hills of Appalachia.”

Climategate: Not a Victimless Crime

As time passes, details trickle instead of flood out about Climategate. We saw for ourselves how global warming skeptics risked denunciation as heretics by the "faithful," forced to confess their sins of non progressivism or face purification by the fire of not getting important grants. We now know that a conspiracy evolved that tried to suppress publication of competing ideas while blocking access to the raw data they themselves relied on for their claims. The University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit disposed of its raw data rather than provide it to researchers skeptical of global warming. Now we find out that a Competitive Enterprise Institute scholar had to go to the extreme of filing a Freedom of Information Act request for NASA's data. They have fought that request for over two years. When I was a kid, I requested information from NASA for a science project. They replied within six to eight weeks and I did not need to file an FOIA. Last year NASA said that just because the ice caps on Mars melted quickly during the warm season in the same years as Earth and during a period of intense sunspot activity, that doesn't mean anything. Right.

All this reeks of a conspiracy to hide what most of us figured out on our own. Not only is the earth not warming anymore (other researchers say the temperature plateaued and may have started to cool) but no proof exists that mankind has any hand in raising or lowering global temperatures.

However many countries, including now our own, have started basing economic policy on this idea that now has no supporting data that anyone can or will produce. West Virginia's union miners are among the victims of this disastrous policy. Eighty mine permits have now been revoked because of Obama's War on Coal. Coal is evil according to the Left, and it must be stopped at all costs. Never mind that union miners, the backbone of Democratic strength in West Virginia since the New Deal, will be thrown out of work. Never mind that West Virginia's Democratic governor has worked hard to keep the Mountain State above water during the economic crisis now sees his knees cut out from under him. Families are suffering and now the state will not be able to meet the ever increasing demands of federal mandates. West Virginia, like other states, will face collapse if this continues.

West Virginia has been dealt a savage blow by the advocates of a failed theory. Obama's henchmen shut down our mines and tossed our hard working neighbors out of work because of something they cannot even back up scientifically. His administration sold out traditional Democrats and union members in doing so. Climategate's victims need to stand up in 2010 and 2012 and tell us "which side are you on, boy, which side are you on?" Are you on the side of elite left wing ivy league academic frauds who want to keep West Virginia from prospering, or on you on the side of those that want to expand employment opportunities up and down the line in West Virginia and around the country?

Thankful For Wal Mart

You get thoughts at the strangest times. This morning's thought came as I made my sone a grilled ham and cheese sandwich before taking him to basketball practice. It centered on how good kids have got it these days.

I cannot get across to my children how things have changed in thirty years. For most kids growing up in the 1970s, going out to eat somewhere that did not get your food to you in a minute or so was a big deal. If you found yourself eating a sandwich, it was bologna or Spam and "cheese food." Cheese food was the slices of stuff they put in the plastic. Brown beans or navy beans came to our table quite often, as did tuna noodle casserole. Forget steak or chicken breast. You almost never saw a chicken breast unless it was from Kentucky Fried Chicken. And that was a special meal too!

How about the generation before that? Ever listen to old country songs like "Coal Miner's Daughter?" If you've never heard of that song, look up the lyrics. A lot of people lived like that even after World War II.

The point is that America has advanced its living standards by leaps and bounds every generation in this century. We could do this because we had the most powerful and productive economy on earth. Plus we always looked to find the most efficient and effective ways to produce and do business. Almost anyone can enjoy a ham sandwich with real cheese for lunch and a steak for dinner now, not just because we make more money, but also because food and other items got less expensive. Wal Mart generally provides everything from food to clothing to drugs at lower prices than anyone else. That includes many items once thought of as near luxuries by those with lower salaries. In many counties in our region they employ more people than anyone, too. They need the work because of Obama's War on Coal.

Remember this next time you hear a left wing snob bash Wal Mart. Think of their contribution to America's higher standard of living. Among so many other things, I am thankful for Wal Mart and the American way. Let's hope that the left wing Democrats and Obama don't crush the life out of it.