Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Ohio for having this Special Order to talk about coal, to talk about energy, to talk about jobs, to talk about quality of life in our States--North Dakota, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia. West Virginia is the second largest coal-producing State in the country, and it is part of who we are--and has been for many, many years. Living in West Virginia and being home as we were in August, there's a lot of pessimism in the entire State. It's not just about coal--if you're a coal miner or directly involved--it's the whole community, it's the whole area, it's the whole region. There's a feeling that the President, through his policies, has really picked winners and losers in this country, and our region is going to lose. The job issue, we're seeing hundreds of jobs--we just had a mine close last week, or a week before, 250 miners. But then that's the transportation, the truck driver, the Stop-and-Go owner, the oil and gas market, the electrician, the pipes, all the things, equipment manufacturers. Everything. It's not just about those 250 jobs, it's a multiplying effect in our region of West Virginia. The abundance of coal in West Virginia nationwide gives us real potential. We get criticized: Oh, you're fighting an old fight; that fight is no longer part of the future. We've got to make it a part of the future because it makes good sense. Producing more domestic energy means reliable, it means an affordable supply of power and energy.…”