KY Governor Beshear ("D") Wants Govt. "Off Our Backs" When It Comes To Coal

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear maintains when it comes to regulating coal, it's time for the federal government and the Obama administration to "get off our backs."

After learning that Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities intended to seek permission to raise electrical rates 19 percent to comply with new EPA regulations on emissions, Beshear blasted the agency for engaging in a "war on coal" that "is now threatening to cause drastic utility rate increases."

Beshear was not alone in rebuking the federal government over restraints placed on coal. State Rep. Jim Gooch Jr., D-Providence, chairman of the Kentucky House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, noted that customers will pay for tougher environmental standards implemented on coal-fired plants. "Everybody talks about the war on coal," Gooch said. "This is a war on Kentucky."

Coal country lawmakers have complained bitterly for years about the federal government's perceived animus toward coal, which contributes enormous sums to the region's economic wherewithal, seeking to replace it with cleaner resources like wind and water.

EDIT

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jun/11/no-headline---12a01coal/

[Scuba]

1. Considering the historical track record of mine safety operations...... No. Hell no.