As the Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency pledges to continue putting their ring around the blue collar neck of the Western economy- Montana Congressman Steve Daines (R) and North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer (R) joined coal miners in a Capitol Hill protest.
The Daily Caller has more:
More than 3,500 coal supporters descended on the U.S. Capitol Building to protest what they see as the Obama administration’s war on coal on Tuesday
According to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, more than 300 coal-fired generators have already been closed or slated for shutdown across 33 states due in part to EPA regulations.
Montana Media Trackers: EPA Ignores Calls to Hold Coal Regulation Hearings In Montana
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears unmoved by growing calls from Montana officials and political candidates to hold listening sessions on new regulations for coal-fired power plants in Montana. The EPA has planned hearings in 11 large urban centers across the country, but none in places like Montana where jobs are heavily dependent upon coal production.
The EPA has planned public listening sessions on the new regulations in 11 large cities across the country: New York, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.
The lack of listening sessions in coal-producing areas such as Montana has drawn criticism from state politicians. Last week, Media Trackers reported that Republican Attorney General Tim Fox was officially calling on the EPA to schedule a session in Montana, saying “the EPA shouldn’t be afraid of listening to viewpoints they won’t hear in New York City.”
The Daily Caller: Despite environmentalists, coal is still king worldwide
The Worldwatch Institute, an environmental group, reported that coal made up 29.9 percent of the world’s energy consumption in 2012 and is on track to beat out oil as the world’s primary energy source by 2017.
Coal was the fastest-growing fossil fuel source globally, reports Worldwatch, with increases coming from not only developing countries but also rich countries. Coal use increased in China by 6.1 percent and India by 9.9 percent last year. This was accompanied by a 3.4 percent usage increase in the European Union and a 5.4 percent increase in Japan.