By ANDREA LANNOM
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Wyoming’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump, expressing their opposition to a plan proposed by Gov. Justice to provide a $4.5 billion annual subsidy to eastern coal producers.
U.S. Sens Mike Enzi and John Barasso and Rep. Liz Cheney, all R-Wyo., sent the letter Thursday. They said the plan would create winners and losers in the marketplace.
The delegation said the proposal would provide a $15 per ton subsidy to utilities that purchase eastern coal over coal produced in western states, such as Wyoming.
“We strongly urge you not to take actions, such as adopting the subsidy policy proposed by Governor Justice, that would repeat the mistakes of the last eight years,” the Wyoming delegation wrote. “Now is the time to remove distortions in our energy markets. We should not be imposing new ones.”
In the letter, the delegation said the Wyoming Powder River Basin coal is the cleanest burning coal and produces roughly 40 percent of the coal mined in the country with more than 170 million tons of Wyoming coal shipped to power plants east of the Mississippi last year.
They said in their view, the best way to help coal miners is through “regulatory relief” and allow competition in a free market.
“It would be devastating for our coal miners and their families if your administration chose to pursue policies that harmed them by distorting our energy markets,” the delegation said in the letter. “We know there are many additional policy steps underway at the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and elsewhere that will truly benefit the coal industry nationwide and we will work diligently to provide whatever assistance we can to facilitate the right kind of policy choices.”
Last week, Justice announced his plan that called for $4.5 billion in annual federal funding to go toward power companies that burn steam coal mined in Northern and Central Appalachia.
Previously, Justice said he had met with the president to discuss his ideas and present a plan on coal. He said he attended a 90-minute meeting with Trump at the Oval Office a few weeks ago and at Trump’s request, returned a week later for two meetings with the president.
Last week, Justice said he believes his incentive would guarantee eastern coal would be available to keep the power grid operational in the event of an emergency shutdown that would affect power plants using natural gas or coal produced in other areas of the country.
See more from The Register-Herald