Coal rally set for this week on Capitol Hill

More than a dozen busloads of West Virginians will be heading to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for the national “Rally For American Energy Jobs” on Capitol Hill.

Organizers with “Count on Coal” said members of Congress, American energy and manufacturing workers from across the United States and citizens who want affordable domestic energy are expected to attend.

“Everyone’s frustrated.  They feel helpless in the sense of everything that’s coming their way from this Administration,” said West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney.

However, he admitted those in the Obama Administration, including officials with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, may not be willing to listen.

“You just never know, but you certainly won’t know until you go try.  We’ve got to see what kind of voice they will listen to up there,” said Raney.

Those with the EPA are currently traveling the U.S. with President Barack Obama’s proposed Climate Action Plan for a series of listening sessions.  The agency has been criticized for scheduling those public meetings in large cities and skipping the areas where coal is produced.

Earlier this year, the EPA released its proposed new rules limiting carbon emissions from new coal-fired power plants and is currently taking public comments on those possible regulations.

Emissions regulations for existing coal-fired power plants are scheduled to be released next summer.

The “Rally For American Energy Jobs” is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on the U.S. Capitol’s west side.