Group Claims New Policies Destroy Coal Jobs

An internal report obtained by the Associated Press reveals that soon-to-be proposed rules affecting surface and underground coal mining nationwide will cost thousands of jobs across the country, according to coal advocacy group the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal).

The job and production losses are outlined in an Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Reclamation and Enforcement document. The rules are supposed to replace Bush-era regulations, which the agency never implemented. The OSM has submitted the proposal to coal producing states for their feedback before it finalizes any new regulations. The proposal -- part of a draft environmental impact statement -- would affect coal mines from Appalachia to Alaska.

"This administration says it's for job creation, yet its regulatory actions reflect just the opposite," said Bryan Brown, West Virginia executive director of FACES of Coal. "I, like most Americans, heard the president commit to reducing regulations that take people's jobs. In reality, these internal documents project how many jobs the OSM is going to destroy. This is outrageous. Coal states need their leaders in Washington, D.C., now more than ever to stand up for our jobs and communities by stopping this bureaucratic abuse."

FACES of Coal is an alliance whose goal it is to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to local and national economies and to the nation's energy security. They point out that in addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed, coal generates nearly half the electricity consumed in the United States today.