West Virginia Coal Association criticizes federal mining rule revisions

The West Virginia Coal Association recently criticized the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Obama administration for the department's final version of mining rules.

“This so-called ‘Stream Protection Rule’ is actually a coal-industry-killer rule,” West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said in a posting on the group's website. “Our coal companies and their miners and families do not deserve this final salvo in President Obama’s war on coal. To call this an unwelcome Christmas present is a big understatement.”

The association, which represents most of the coal mining companies in the state, said the rule is a method for blocking underground and surface mining.

“The Obama administration has manipulated the federal rulemaking process to satisfy its anti-coal agenda by targeting all forms of coal production from surface to underground and across all coal producing regions of the country,” Jason Bostic, vice president of the association, said. “We all want to protect America’s natural resources, but the (rule) will not offer any environmental improvements as (the) Interior (Department) claims. This rule is a giant lie that was financed by taxpayer dollars.”