Rogers' Statement on Coal Mining Layoffs

Statement

U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) released the following statement about coal mining layoffs in southern and eastern Kentucky, including the James River Coal Company's announcement of 525 furloughed full-time employees in our region.

"There is no other way to say it; in two years, President Obama's "War on Coal" has resulted in 6,200 jobless Americans in the eastern Kentucky coal fields and untold thousands more in mining support businesses. It is a downright dire and disastrous situation in our coal counties, yet the President is taking credit for a recovery! Deliberate anti-coal energy policies are sending thousands of families in my region to the unemployment line. I've talked to out of work miners struggling to put food on the table, find replacement work, and pay their bills. The EPA's regulatory overreach that has bypassed the Congress and been soundly rejected by the courts, now seeks to end new coal generation while closing down existing plants. Mr. President, it's time to stop this war on coal. Coal keeps the lights on!"

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