Friday, April 26, 2013

McConnell to visit Pike Co., talk loss of coal jobs

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Senator Mitch McConnell will visit Pike and Perry Counties next week in order to bring awareness to the loss of coal mining jobs in Kentucky.

McConnell will introduce the Coal Jobs Protection Act, which is aimed at what he called the Environmental Protection Agency’s burdensome regulations.

The legislation, sponsored by Ohio Rep. Bill Johnson, will protect American jobs and support U.S. energy production by prohibiting the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new rules or regulations that will adversely impact mining jobs and the economy in Appalachia.

The proposed legislation, officially called the Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act, would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing regulations under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act that would adversely impact U.S. coal industry.

On Monday, Sen. McConnell will be joined by representatives from the coal industry to speak at Whayne Supply in Pikeville at 10:15. He will address the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce at the Hampton Inn in Pikeville at 11:30.

At 3:45, Sen. McConnell will be joined by West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito to address the Hazard/Perry County Chamber of Commerce at Whayne Supply in Hazard.