Taxarkana Gazette - Cotton in Favor of Coal Mining in Natural State

News Article

By: Jim Williamson

Mining coal to create jobs in Southwest Arkansas may stay buried because President Obama has declared war on coal, said U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Cotton has been touring Southwest Arkansas this week and after listening to opinions of the regional residents, he is learning it's the economy and national debt frustrating voters.

It's also difficult for economic development in Southwest Arkansas by exploring the possibilities of mining coal when Obama has declared war on coal, Cotton said Wednesday during a "meet and greet" in Hempstead Hall on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope.

Studies have been funded to explore the possibilities of mining lignite coal in the region, but the reports have not been completed.

"We have to stop the war on coal. This president and his Environmental Protection Agency are openly hostile to coal. He (Obama) said in his own campaign in 2008 that if you start a coal-fired utility, we're going to bankrupt you. I don't think that should be our attitude," Cotton said.

"Our attitude should be we're going to use the resources that God put in the ground for us and the ingenuity to take them out of the ground to help power our economy. It helps reduce the price of energy for all of us," he said.

The EPA has required national rules to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. The goal is to protect drinking water, according to national news reports from the Washington Post and U.S. News.

The burning of fossil fuels like coal also contributes to "acid rain," according to the EPA. The report says acid rain occurs when gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles.

Mining the coal in Southwest Arkansas would be beneficial, Cotton said, because it would be unlikely to be shipped overseas.

The regional coal could reduce the cost of energy to homeowners and businesses.

"Oftentimes, it helps reduce the deficit as well because it's on federal lands and we as taxpayers could get the royalties and leases," he said.

"We need regulations that protect the environment, but also encourages responsible use of our national resources as opposed to having an outright war on it. And, in the private sector we will develop those resources," Cotton said.

"...You have to provide that regulatory certainty and tax certainty in the long run to ensure they're going to have the confidence to invest the resources necessary for the long term projects," Cotton said.

The congressman, who is serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Obama has injected uncertainty into the economy.

Mayors, business managers and educators have difficulty planning.

"The economic environment is so uncertain, they don't want to invest in long-term projects. A mayor might be wanting to repair a community center. Our school district may be trying to build a new gym. For business, it may be trying to expand a factory to give more hours and better wages to the local work force," Cotton said.

"...If you look at Obamacare and the regulations going into effect this year, causing people to lose their jobs or lose the hours they need. It's not surprising the major or school district or business managers are worried about investing in the long term when they don't know what kind of regulations they are going to face or what kind of taxes their going to face or their debt," he said.

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