When you look at the facts it is undeniable that the Obama Administration has declared war on the coal industry. This is an industry that is based on our Nation’s most abundant natural resource for energy; America is the “OPEC of coal”. In addition to providing the country almost half of its power, the coal industry also provides our country with 1.5 million stable, long term and much needed jobs. The Obama administration has chosen and deployed its weapons for the attack; including the EPA, the Bureau of Land Management, national and local environmental groups of activists and attorneys all of which serve to “shock and awe” the coal industry. These government and environmental groups allied with the President are staging protests and filing lawsuits with local Governments where coal companies have requested permits to build coal export facilities or new coal mines. The Federal Government indirectly pays for many of these legal bills through reimbursements to the activist organizations of legal expenses. Despite this formidable multiple wave attack on coal, the industry that appears to be fighting for its survival in the United States, has a bright and profitable future.
Obama’s main assault has three fronts: the first is mining of coal in Appalachia and especially Kentucky and West Virginia. In locations where the coal is near the surface it is accessed by removing the surface layer of dirt and rock to access the shallow coal seam. Nearby, creeks and small rivers passing through the area of the mines may pick up minute amounts of salt. Although, perfectly suited for human consumption, the EPA declares this water to be dangerous and established new water guidelines. Permits are already extremely difficult to get for any coal mines, however the new EPA guidelines have blocked all new surface mining permits in that region. The EPA fails to mention or promote that the reclaimed lands when the coal companies are finished look better and return the land to standards when the land was unsettled.
The result of this regulation is that surface mining coal production in Appalachia region will end as the current permits expire. In September 2011 the EPA denied 19 surface mining permits in Kentucky causing regional production to drop by 126 million tons of coal and eliminating thousands of jobs. In contrast the Bush and Clinton administrations granted permits for 511 surface operations.
The second wave of the assault is substantially delaying permits on Federal lands. When permits are submitted they mysteriously get caught up in a red tape run around where permits are left to d