An editorial from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Republican lawmakers in Washington who are promising to roll back the controversial environmental rules of President Barack Obama have a number of creative options at their disposal when it comes to responding to an almost guaranteed presidential veto.
Republicans lawmakers correctly argue that Obama’s plan to limit emissions from coal-fired power plants would devastate local economies and hamper job creation. The rules are so stringent that they would also essentially prohibit the construction of new coal-fired plants. When miners are laid off, coal mines are shuttered and coal-fired power plants such as the Appalachian Power facility in Giles County are closed there is a negative ripple effect upon the entire region.
Of course overcoming a presidential veto isn’t easy, and would require the support of a number of Democrats. But with the exception of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., most Democrats in Washington have sided with Obama when it comes to the war on coal. That’s why other creative options will be necessary.
A number of such ideas were outlined earlier this week to the Associated Press by Republican leadership aids in Washington. They include:
• The passage of legislation forcing Obama to certify — before his new regulations on coal-fired power plants take effect — that they won’t drive up electricity prices or eliminate jobs. Attaching that requirement to a broader spending bill would make it harder for Obama to veto without jeopardizing other government spending, the GOP aides say.
• GOP lawmakers also could take a defund approach by passing bills prohibiting the government from spending any money to implement his EPA regulations…
