David McKinley

You got a group of individuals here today that are focused on trying to push back on this war on coal to get some common sense.

We have to be equally cognizant of the mining industry.

Bill Johnson has worked very hard.

We are going to try get that rule held back until there is technology commercially available.

But, if this becomes hazardous material? Don't you think consumers--I know that there are studies that say across America, there are 316,000 jobs involved in the recycling of coal ash and gypsum.

If you burn coal, you get an ash. The EPA since 2009 has been contemplating and developing and perfecting a piece of legislation, a new rule and reg. that would potentially classify flyash as a hazardous material.

Twenty-five years we are still talking about it. Is that what I am hearing from the panel?

I am just one of two engineers in Congress who practice engineering.

We have got to be more sensitive to the middle class people across this country, and particularly those that have mined coal, that have made America what it is.

How much more studies are we going to have?

Not only have we written letters, but we have asked you here to get back.

But I want to remind you back--we had a hearing last year when gas was, gas prices were $7 or $8 an MCF.

Should we? Can we afford that as a society when 24 million people are either unemployed or underemployed?

Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Clearly, this is an international problem. And if the United States acts alone, it will be futile.

Traditionally, I think of America as being a world leader and I think we need to do leadership.

I am astounded that you can sit there and say there is no war on coal.

You know, when the President comes out and says, I am going to bankrupt any new coal-fired powerhouse...

It certainly was not the intention of Congress to change the business model for the American economy.

They know very well this is a war on coal.

If I thought my house was making me sick, I would leave.

If it were science, then let's build on the science.

I am one of maybe three or four people in Congress that have a construction background, and I have dealt with permitting agencies for 40 some years.

Unfortunately, we've been here before--in 1999 a federal Judge halted mining at the Dal-Tex site where the Spruce permit is located.

Coal mining--particularly surface mining such as proposed at Spruce--can provide us jobs today and possibilities for tomorrow.