WHEELING, W.Va. – A group of House Republicans led by Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia is seeking to block new federal Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas regulations that are expected to deal a devastating blow to the nation’s coal-fired power plants.
Environmental groups hailed the rule as a necessary step in battling climate change, and EPA officials said it gives states plenty of leeway to adopt policies that work for them. But opponents say the rules will devastate the economy by costing many coal miners and power plant workers their jobs, while barely putting a dent in global greenhouse gas emissions.
“Let’s put this in perspective,” McKinley said. “China is burning more coal than the rest of the world combined and investing billions to develop clean coal technologies. They understand the central role coal plays in powering their economy.”On the other hand, the Obama administration is pushing us away from coal, cutting funding for clean coal research and forcing America toward higher-cost sources of energy,” he continued.As of Tuesday, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., was the lone Democrat among the bill’s 69 co-sponsors, which include Reps. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Bill Johnson and Robert Gibbs, both R-Ohio…
