Published: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.). Photo credit: Francis Chung/E&E News
Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) on Capitol Hill last year. Francis Chung/E&E News
Rep. David McKinley wants to save coal by passing a climate bill.
That s the theory behind the Clean Energy Future Through Innovation Act, a clean electricity standard plan the West Virginia Republican introduced with Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) late last year. My mission here is to keep coal and natural gas in the mix and try to clean it as much as we can, McKinley said in an interview in a congressional office decorated with a large portrait of a coal miner.
File photo
By Charles Boothe |
Bluefield Daily Telegraph May 1, 2021
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. File photo
WASHINGTON â A group of U.S. Senators has introduced legislation to extend a program that provides money for coal reclamation projects to help communities impacted by the downturn in the coal industry.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with his Virginia colleagues Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and others, introduced the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fee Extension Act of 2021 and the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act of 2021.
UMW and Sierra Club praise Manchin bills aiming to clean up, revitalize coal communities By
April 29, 2021 - 6:05 pm
Organizations ranging from the United Mine Workers to the Sierra Club are expressing support for bills introduced by Senator Joe Manchin affecting coal communities.
Cecil Roberts
“The economic situation for many families and communities in the Appalachian coalfields is already catastrophic,” stated Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America.
“Things will not get better by themselves. Congress needs to act this year to pass the RECLAIM Act and the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fee Extension Act, as well as other initiatives to provide job, training and further assistance to dislocated coal miners and their families.”
Apr 30, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey, D-Pa.,, Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Fee Extension Act of 2021 and the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act of 2021.
The AML Reclamation Fee Extension Act would provide a clean 15 year extension of the fee levied on coal companies that funds the AML Reclamation Program, which is currently set to expire this September. The RECLAIM Act would provide a boost for coal reclamation projects that provide economic development and growth in communities impacted by the downturn in the coal industry.
Here s a glimpse of how we can transition entirely to renewable energy sources
Illustration by Glenn Harvey
Last fall, I gave a Zoom lecture to a class of undergraduate students at the University of Puget Sound about the path forward on energy and climate justice. I always go into these presentations with some trepidation, because I know that many young people are overwhelmed by despair about climate change, and I want to be clear about what s at stake without adding to their anxiety. After I finished, one of the students offered a simple appreciation that lifted a weight off my shoulders: Honestly, this presentation has been a relief. I feel so much better. Thank you.