Thousands Attend Coal Rally in Pa.

Thousands of people supporting the coal industry flooded Pittsburgh for a rally against stronger Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

This comes just a day before public hearings start there. They've already started in Denver, Washington D.C., and Atlanta, and many people have spoken passionately on the matter.

West Virginia is the nation's second-biggest coal producer, and Kentucky comes in at number three.

Coal supporters gathered Wednesday at the Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh to share their concerns about job losses and higher electricity costs, from new regulations.

They were joined by West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Ohio's Lieutenant Governor, other politicians and representatives from labor groups.

The proposed regulations take aim at coal power plants as the EPA looks to cut emissions by 30 percent.

W.Va. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the EPA's proposed regulations would mean many coal power plants would close and the industry in our region would suffer.

The governor said 90 percent of the state's energy comes from coal.

More than 5,000 miners and coal supporters are expected to march in downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday.