Thursday, December 10, 2009

Bye-Bye, Coal Industry!

Remember this?





Back before the election, Barack Obama promised that his energy plan and ideas for stiffer regulation would cause energy prices to 'necessarily skyrocket', and that it would bankrupt the coal industry.

He was right, and it's happening already:
Consol Energy will lay off nearly 500 workers and idle a mountaintop removal mining operation near Bickmore.

Pittsburgh-based Consol notified workers Tuesday. The action affects 104 miners at Little Eagle Coal Co. and 378 at Fola Coal Co.

The layoffs will begin Feb. 7 and be completed within 14 days.

Consol blames the shutdown on a legal challenge the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition mounted to permits granted under the federal Clean Water Act.

U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers recently suspended Fola’s permit for the Ike Fork portions of its operations. The order is effective Jan. 23.

He was pretty clear about his intentions during the campaign, but too many refused to listen. It's time to wake people up to this danger before our entire economy is crippled by these asinine policies.

There's my two cents.

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