2010-09-20

Coal Miners Go to Washington to Protest Mountaintop Removal Regulations. By Ambreen Ali, Congress.org, September 15, 2010. "Hundreds of coal miners and their families gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday [September 15] in an industry-led protest against regulation, while a smaller group of environmentalists held a counter-rally. The larger event -- sponsored by trade groups from Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio -- took aim at the Democrats' cap-and-trade plan and the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed greenhouse gas regulations. 'We're here to say to this administration, wisen up. Coal runs this country,' Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said, prompting a loud burst of cheers from the crowd. Rogers was one of a dozen lawmakers expected to speak at the event, most of whom hailed from coal-mining territory. Their message was clear: Coal runs the country, and it employs Americans. Most of the activists present wore identical blue shirts and held pre-printed signs calling on Congress to save coal jobs. Others said, 'This is a coal hard fact…. Coal keeps the lights on,' and, 'Coal miners love mountains, too.'"

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