U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., is hoping to use his appointment to the powerful House Appropriations Committee as a way to fight for coal and coal miners. Specifically, he is hoping to control the purse of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
“I am every confident that this Congress is going to be aggressive in fighting the war on coal,” Jenkins, who spoke to the Daily Telegraph Thursday before casting votes on the Save Americans Workers Act and the Keystone XL Pipeline Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, said.
“And that’s why on the day after the election on Nov. 4, I went to work campaigning for a good committee assignment, and I was one of two freshmen (lawmakers) appointed to the Appropriations Committee, one of the foremost powerful committees in the U.S. House. I sought that position for two reasons. One to help direct funding for much-needed critical projects in West Virginia. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for $1.2 trillion of discretionary funding each year. The other reason I fought for the Appropriations Committee appointment to use the power of the purse in fighting the anti-coal agenda of Barack Obama through the EPA’s budget. The power of the purse is a powerful tool. I’ve sought to use that position — to use that tool — to fight for our coal miners and our coal communities.”
Jenkins said the EPA must have funding to pursue its anti-coal agenda.
“This administration is making no bones about it,” Jenkins said. “They are using the tools — every tool available and that includes the EPA — to wage a war on coal. And the EPA like every federal agency depends upon its budget to do its work…
