An editorial from The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING, W.Va. — Now we know why Environmental Protection Agencies avoided West Virginia and other coal states during their “listening tour” and public hearings on proposed new rules that would devastate the coal industry and send electricity prices soaring.
As EPA official Janet McCabe told Sen. Shelley Capito, R-W.Va., last week, our state was skipped because “we wanted to have (hearings) in locations where people were comfortable coming.”
Your eyes did not deceive you: McCabe in effect said EPA officials are not comfortable coming to West Virginia.
In what may be the understatement of the new year, Capito told McCabe her explanation was “not really a great answer … You can get to West Virginia. We’re not that isolated.”
During their “listening tour” on the proposed new regulations, EPA officials visited Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Lenexa, Kan. – and, of course, Washington, D.C. They followed up with four formal public hearings in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver and Washington.
Not one of the 10 states affected most by the proposed rules was visited. Not West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky or Wyoming.
Capito was absolutely right in being angry. As she noted after the congressional hearing at which McCabe testified, “Regardless of whether or not EPA officials feel ‘comfortable’ facing the thousands of West Virginia coal miners whose livelihoods are threatened by these proposed rules, West Virginians deserve the opportunity to make their voices heard.”
As we have noted several times in the past, EPA officials and their boss, President Barack Obama, are determined to shut down every coal-fired power plant in the land. They have used a variety of tactics in that campaign.
After the hearing, Capito repeated an invitation she has issued in the past. She invited EPA?Administrator Gina McCarthy to visit here to see how the proposed rules will affect us.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for McCarthy to take Capito up on that one.
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