Statement

Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest moves in the Obama Administration's War on Coal:

"The Obama Administration's War on Coal is one more battle in their War on Jobs. With the EPA pursuing a scorched-earth campaign against job creators and the White House's denial that their misguided policies are driving our economy over the cliff, a direct assault against the coal industry will be the death knell for too many of our communities. The EPA's "train wreck' of rules coming down the track will result in higher electric rates for working families who are already struggling to make ends meet in this fragile economy.

"As a candidate, then-Senator Obama said that he would bankrupt the coal industry. His EPA is carrying out the marching orders. The coal industry supports many communities in eastern and southeastern Ohio that would be devastated by the White House's ongoing War on Coal. With distressingly high unemployment levels throughout our state and nation and too many people giving up looking for work, it's unconscionable that the EPA would purposefully take steps that would cost jobs."