Hal Rogers: “I thank the chairman for yielding. During his 2008 election campaign, President Obama had the audacity to set an energy…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding. During his 2008 election campaign, President Obama had the audacity to set an energy goal to bankrupt the coal industry. Unfortunately, this is one promise the President is keeping. Coal mines are closing, miners are being sent home--our strategic energy advantage thrown away for windmills and Solyndras. Mr. Chairman, I know miners. Day in and day out, they make real personal sacrifices--often doing difficult and, at times, dangerous jobs--not only to look out for their families but to keep our homes lit, to support their local churches, to keep our local businesses flourishing, and to help the American economy. Coal is not America's energy problem; it is America's energy solution. Sadly, for the last 3 years, this administration has brought forth an onslaught of job-killing regulations, overstepped authority--three times condemned by the Federal court, and deadlocked the mine permitting process--all with the thinly veiled purpose of driving coal from the energy marketplace. In Kentucky, the results are in. In my region, more than 2,000 coal miners have lost their jobs this year, and dozens of local support businesses are downsizing as a result. {time} 1730 The story is the same in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where last week, 1,200 more workers were given pink slips. It's time for this to stop, Mr. Chairman. This war on coal is real.…”