OPINION:
President Obama has repeatedly said job creation is his top priority, and ever since he got elected, he has promised to have a laser focus on the cause.
But in 2008, he also said he would make continued operation difficult for coal plants. If somebody wanted to build a coal-fired plant, he said, he would bankrupt them. Because he was unable to pass his “cap-and-trade” bill, he is using the Environmental Protection Agency to cause collateral damage to industry and will cause Americans to lose their jobs.
In January, the EPA sent shock waves through the coal-mining industry when it revoked a mountaintop-removal permit in West Virginia, causing 250 coal miners to lose their jobs. In April, the agency said it doesn’t take jobs into account when issuing new regulations.
Luckily, Republicans and a few Democrats from coal-mining states have taken on the EPA with bills in Congress in an effort to save jobs. This is not about Republicans attacking the environment. This is about saving jobs for Americans.
TERRI R. FLINN
Vienna, W.Va.
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