Bad Poetry: Scab

For the Poets & Storytellers United, a  poem about scabs. A scab is a crust of dried body fluids over a wound, or a strike-breaking worker.

A strike was meant to be a blow

if only wounding profit.

If workers thought job paid too low

they simply would walk off it,

and this was felt as "bleeding" labor,

money, all away,

and bosses tried to hire a neighbor

to fill in that day.

And so this man was called a scab.

It wasn't meant to injure,

until the striking laborers' gab

added gall and ginger.

A skilled coal miner's pay was low; 

work, dangerous and hard.

How far below could wages go

on a day labor yard?

So scabs could easily be despised

as lowest of the low

though, when disasters traumatized,

to scabbing men would go.

Those times are gone to come no more

and who would call them back?

So Hollywood said "Mining lore

a scab's viewpoint doth lack."

And someone wrote an eighties movie

simply called The River

and said "Mel Gibson's young and groovy!

He'll make girls' hearts quiver,

and for the boys, bring Spacek in,

and show them having sex

(from shoulders up) with sweaty skin

in scabs' grim little shacks."

Mel Gibson played a noble-hearted

man who saved his farm

by scabbing; Sissy'd not be parted

from him, but risked harm

and left the kids behind to meet him

in his pine board shanty.

From that day on, reviewers treat them

as poison, not eye candy.

Gibson's his own producer now.

Spacek's career was charred.

Bygones are bygones, you'd avow,

but bitterness dies hard.

(The River (1984) is currently available to watch online--for a fee. 

In 1983 the producers looked for a real Tennessee town that looked weatherbeaten but not hopeless. The farm scenes that ended up in the movie were shot in Tennessee. For the town, people said "They wanted Clinchport; too bad they didn't come out before the flood." Gate City wanted to be used as the scene of the movie--though we don't actually have a river. The producers didn't think my town looked weatherbeaten enough but finally agreed that a short stretch of a back street could be made to look down-at-heel when wet. So you can see an unflattering view of part of my town, with some real local people in the crowd, in the scene where Mel Gibson goes to the bank after the flood. 

We never were a mining town. People I knew liked The River and Gibson and Spacek and the whole foofarah of having a film crew in town. Those who remember 1983 still do. 

People who belong to unions, e.g. the reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, haaaated the movie and have never forgiven those who made it.

I'd never claim that it was a great movie, no suspense, no comedy, not even a car chase, strictly a reenactment of some long-gone scab's apologia, but what pretty scenery it has!)

Book Review: Good Things That Were

Title: The Good Things That Were Once Under the Sycamore Are Now No More

Author: George Gibson

Publisher: George Gibson

Date: 1980

ISBN: none

Length: 16 pages

Quote: “St. Charles, a place where I’ve labored and worked all my life…turned into what some would call a Ghost Town.”

George Gibson, born in 1905, reminisces about his life as a coal miner, preacher, and union organizer in Virginia. Labor union activity was less dangerous in Virginia than it was in Kentucky; Gibson describes injuries from hard work in the mines, not from cave-ins, explosions, or those infamous outbursts of violence. He could probably have said more if he hadn’t wanted to fit his story, plus photos and other people’s statements of support for what he was saying, onto eight sheets of printer paper.

About such a short book, it’s hard to say much, but I have shared this book with older people from Lee County. (Very few people come from St. Charles, though the settlement by that name still exists.) They recognized the names of people mentioned and agreed that Gibson described those people and their activities accurately. This flimsy booklet is thus a primary document of local history. Buy it when you can.

 

Morgan Griffith on Exhibition Coal Mine (edited for format)

Coal mines as tourist attractions? Yes. From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:

"
ICYMI: Renovations Underway at Exhibition Mine

Friday, July 26, 2019 –

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph today highlighted ongoing work at the Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine, funded by the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Pilot program. The federal funding I secured for the AML Pilot program is bringing new economic opportunities to Southwest Virginia.

Renovations underway at exhibition mine

POCAHONTAS, Va. — Renovations which will improve access into a exhibition coal mine and add new facilities to its adjoining museum were continuing Thursday in Tazewell County, Va.

The Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine is among the Southwest Virginia economic development projects being funded by a grant from the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Pilot program administered by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and funded by the Federal Power Plus Pilot Program. U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Gov. Ralph Northam announced the projects last March.

To read more from the article, click here.
"

"The article" in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph is copyrighted; it tells more about the attraction.

Mark Warner on Virginia Miners' Benefits

From U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA):

"
Dear Friend,
Throughout my time in the Senate, I've made fighting to protect the safety net for Virginia's retired coal miners one of my top priorities. Unfortunately, some Virginia miners and their families are at risk of losing their benefits if Congress doesn't act. Working with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, I've sponsored a bipartisan bill called the American Miners Act that would protect the pensions and healthcare benefits that miners all across coal country have earned through a lifetime of hard work.
Below you can read my op-ed, published in the Bristol Herald Courier, with more information about the American Miners Act and what I'm doing to fight for these miners and their families in Washington. I hope you'll give it a read.
If there’s an issue that’s important to you or a question you’d like to ask, I invite you to send me an email and follow my work in the Senate on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.



Sincerely,
"

[that signature graphic Google doesn't like: Mark Warner]

Morgan Griffith: More on Energy Technology in Southwestern Virginia

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"
Friday, March 22, 2019 –
Promising Developments in Research
During the recent congressional district work period, I had a chance to spend some time at Virginia Tech. While on campus, I met with some of the talented people who work and study there and heard firsthand about their important research and development projects. Some of their work promises great benefits for the economy and the quality of life, both here in Virginia and across the country.
My first appointment was with Dr. Roe-Hoan Yoon and the team at the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies. I’ve met with him several times over the years, and he spoke at a symposium on the future of coal I convened in 2016 in Wise.
His work focuses on developing processes to extract rare earth elements (their rarity is due to the difficulty of extraction) from coal byproducts. Viable extraction techniques would provide the American economy with a new supply of rare earth elements, which are prized for advanced manufacturing purposes.
A new supply pipeline of rare earth elements would bring benefits for the economy and jobs. It also would serve national security purposes, as right now the United States almost entirely depends on China for these resources.
At our meeting, Dr. Yoon updated me on progress in this field. A consortium of universities, including Virginia Tech, is moving forward with testing extraction methods. The consortium won a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy last fall for a pilot project to test a hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation process to produce clean coal and specialty carbon products for discarded coal wastes.
I have been happy to support the consortium’s work by encouraging the Federal Government to fund such projects, and I am excited by the potential they hold for a coal breakthrough.
The next meeting of the day regarded the work at Virginia Tech’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) Center, led by Dr. Sunil Sinha, partially funded by a federal grant.
Clean water is important for health and safety, but aging infrastructure and uninformed maintenance strategies can hinder access to it. We remember the tragic situation in Flint, Michigan, where lead poisoned the water.
SWIM’s mission will help to prevent future failures by gathering data on water infrastructure systems nationwide. Collecting, securely maintaining, and analyzing this data will contribute to a better and broader understanding of our water infrastructure’s status. For example, it can indicate the reliability of various pipe construction materials in the area and the conditions that surround them. Factors like the type of soil or the proximity of railroad tracks can affect the lifespan of a pipe.
The data will be housed with Virginia Tech’s PIPELINE infrastructure DATABASE (PIPEiD), which aims to provide uniform standards for water infrastructure data and centralize it in a geographic information system (GIS), essentially providing a map of the data. This database will help municipalities large and small visualize their infrastructure issues.
I was struck by the usefulness of this approach, and during our meeting I noted that a similar mapping process would be helpful in addressing another critical infrastructure issue: broadband access.
As it happens, during the same week that I visited Virginia Tech, a pilot project was announced that would take a step toward mapping broadband availability. The Broadband Mapping Initiative, conducted by USTelecom and a consortium of broadband companies, is launching a pilot project in Virginia and Missouri that will develop tools and gather information to understand where broadband is – and more importantly isn’t – available.
I am glad to see that Virginia was chosen as one of the pilot states for this initiative. This data will be gathered and shared with consumers as well as the Federal Communications Commission and will hopefully be a productive step towards accurate and comprehensive broadband maps.
These various projects are examining different challenges that face our society and economy today, but they have much in common, including a commitment to research and evidence and cooperation among partners in the private, public, and higher education sectors. I think they offer a model for problem solving. And they are happening in our part of Virginia.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"

Morgan Griffith on Cutting Carbon Emissions

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9), editorial comment below:

"

ICYMI: Griffith Op-Ed in Roanoke Times“Innovation Will Reduce Carbon Emissions”

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) wrote the following op-ed for the Roanoke Times outlining his plan to reduce carbon emissions: Innovation will reduce carbon emissions A recent letter to the editor claimed that I had not offered a plan to address climate change as an alternative to the “Green New Deal.” This is incorrect. The writer would find in my weekly newsletter, comments in committee and on the House floor, press statements, and elsewhere dozens of calls for research, technological innovation, and “all of the above” energy policies. I believe any effective plan to counter climate change must be based in science, rely on America’s technological strengths and bountiful natural resources, and have a global vision. I have supported policies that meet these criteria, but the Green New Deal fails on each count and cannot be taken seriously as a way to improve the environment. To continue reading the op-ed, please click here.

"

Editorial comment: Dang straight.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" is neither Green nor new, nor is it rational. It is the effusion of a little girl who may have noticed about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy but still believes the Marxist fairy tale: "When people don't have to make decisions, be responsible, own property, earn money, or behave like adults in any other meaningful way, they'll be as happy and as good as little children are!" Anyone who still believes that, will believe anything, and really has no business in Washington even as a student.

Congressman Griffith has consistently shared with this web site several thoughts on energy technology. (That all of them have not appeared here is my fault: I read too many e-mails and don't get through them while they still qualify as news.) I'm sure every reader in the Ninth District would rank those thoughts differently if asked to say exactly which ones we found more credible than others. This is to be expected since the Ninth District includes Gate City and Martinsville, and all those other towns as well. In any case there's been no room for doubt that our man in Washington has given a lot of thought to diversifying our historic common interest in energy production. Newsletter material reposted at this web site can be found quickly by clicking on the labels "coal," "electricity," or "energy" at the bottom of this post.

The Roanoke Times' correspondent may have overlooked the fact that the Ninth District is already doing more than the rest of our Commonwealth is doing to address "climate change" simply by staying rural. Most of us do indisputably drive too much, and some of us may even still be burning coal at home, but we are still dramatically cooler than Washington, Richmond, or Norfolk--all year!

Morgan Griffith Told Us So

Shared by U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 –
According to the Washington Times:

Two years after nearly every nation on earth signed the landmark Paris climate accord, researchers say the deal is failing to live up to its mission as China drives a spike in global carbon emissions, reversing years of steady decline.

The sobering news comes as world leaders gather in Germany for a high-level climate summit designed to marshal support for the Paris agreement and to encourage countries to make even more ambitious commitments to cut their own pollution.

Other nations have been critical of President Trump for announcing over the summer that the U.S. would pull out of the deal, but data released Monday show that American emissions are still dropping while those of China and other countries are back on the rise.

To read the rest of the article, click here.
"

Morgan Griffith on Power Plants Reopening

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"

Two Coal-Fired Power Plants Fired Up to Meet Demand

June 21, 2017 – Dominion Energy is re-opening two coal-fired power plants in Virginia, in order to be prepared to meet power needs during peak hours this summer. The plants were shut down to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mercury Air Toxics Standards rule (which the Supreme Court later ruled was improperly issued). However, PJM Interconnections, a company that manages the electrical grid in many eastern states, including Virginia, requested the plants be allowed to temporarily remain open in order to provide reliable power to residents. The Department of Energy (DOE) approved their request. PJM’s spokesperson told a local paper, Williamsburg Yorktown Daily, that Dominion Energy would operate the coal-fired power plants on an emergency basis to prevent rolling black-outs, and added that this move is “required to avoid power disruption that could disturb military bases, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure in the area.” Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) said, “It is critically important to maintain the reliability of the power grid. The threats of rolling brown-outs, and even black-outs, have been a concern of mine for some time. As I’ve said before, if we shut down power plants before we have an adequate substitute, the obvious result will be families, schools, businesses, and hospitals lacking power. By re-opening these plants, thankfully, Virginians will be in a position to avoid power shortages during the hottest months of summer. I’m glad DOE made the logical decision.”

"

Morgan Griffith's America First Energy Policy

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9), editorial comment below the end quote mark:

"
America First Energy Policy

An international deal the Obama Administration and environmental activists joined into has requirements that will cause the United States to voluntarily lose hundreds of thousands of jobs and significantly increase energy costs.

It’s called the Paris Agreement. Not approved by Congress, no legal ramifications.

Why did the United States enter the agreement?

Good question.

It surely doesn’t help put American energy first, make energy more affordable for Americans, or stabilize our power grid.

The agreement is aimed at lowering emissions and limiting climate change to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, basically an arbitrary number.

Notably, developed countries like the U.S. are expected to dramatically reduce actual emissions, while developing nations, such as India and China, are asked to lower emissions corresponding with their economic output. In other words, America is asked to kill jobs and risk our power grid stability, even if China and India are contributing more emissions than we are!

A recent report states, “Remaining in the pact commits the U.S. to reducing our carbon emissions by nearly 30% below 2005 levels — even though most of the world's major polluters will continue to emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. That is why some supporters of the Paris Agreement concede that the gains would be ‘symbolic.’”

It continues citing “estimates that, over the next decade, the agreement will cost Americans an extra $30,000 per family of four in higher energy prices and some 400,000 lost jobs.”

The study compares the Paris Agreement to “a $2.5 trillion global tax on American production. So the costs to America would be anything but "symbolic."”

It would be crushing.

President Trump promised to focus on American energy independence to bring stability to the grid and boost our economy.

At the start of his Administration, he appointed Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy (DOE), both of whom are determined to lead their respective organizations in a new direction. Both appointees are committed to taking bold actions that reflect the will of the American people, and will result in long-term, positive impacts for our country.

Administrator Pruitt is focused on these goals and to achieve them, he has recommended President Trump pull out of the Paris Agreement.

Those who argue to stay are mostly environmental activists who want to defend Obama Administration policies. They defend the $1 billion Obama contributed and the $3 billion Obama pledged to the Paris Agreement. Our commitments to foreign nations should be negotiated for America’s best interest, not by activists with their own agenda.

Furthermore, staying in the Paris Agreement leaves environmentalists with a defense for the Clean Power Plan or similar detrimental policies. It opens the door to lawsuits from environmental activists to force the EPA to institute policies to meet our commitment. Exiting the agreement makes it clear there is no room for liberal interpretation leading to new regulations. An exit allows the EPA to continue the mission of undoing harmful, costly, and job-killing regulations and continue to work for an America first energy policy.

In efforts to strengthen our power grid at home, in April, Secretary Perry commissioned a 60 day study to address the “concern about how certain policies are affecting, and potentially putting at risk, energy security and reliability.”

In his memo commissioning the study, he notes the importance of sustaining baseload power. The textbook definition of baseload power is the “minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time. Baseload power sources are power stations which can economically generate the electric power needed to satisfy this minimum demand.”

We are lucky, in the U.S., to have many sources that can contribute to meeting power needs; like coal, natural gas, wind, hydro, and nuclear. The study will determine how federal policies, regulations, and subsidies have skewed the balance of baseload power. It will examine how this has jeopardized the reliability of the electric grid, affected jobs and economic growth, and possibly threatened our national security. Specifically, DOE will determine if “regulatory burdens, as well as mandates and tax and subsidy policies, are responsible for forcing the premature retirement of baseload power plants.”

Perry concludes the memo by reiterating that “the Trump Administration will be guided by the principles of reliability, resiliency, affordability, and fuel assurance-principles that underpin a thriving economy.”

I will continue to support these policies of Administrator Pruitt and Secretary Perry “to ensure that we provide American families and businesses an electric power system that is technologically advanced, resilient, reliable, and second to none.”

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office, 276-525-1405, or Christiansburg office, 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
"

Editorial comment: It's interesting to compare the two main models of climate change...

The debate about global warming is acrimonious, politically charged, and endlessly bickered about. Doing something about it, we are told, would involve voting for policies and people that might make some people richer than they are. Any effects on the actual climate in your neighborhood remain unknown but, based on hard scientific facts, the probability that your doing what you're told to do to fight global warming would lower your air conditioning bill this summer is very low.

The facts about local warming are objective, politically neutral, and long documented. Doing something about them would involve making decisions you might find sweaty and boring, like walking rather than driving. The effects on the actual climate in your neighborhood, if enough people did what they could choose to do to fight global warming, could certainly lower your air conditioning bill this summer.

This web site supports Congressman Griffith all the way. However, he's been in Washington, listening to lobbyists from the various energy corporations, for several years now, and this web site would like to remind him that local warming is what makes Washington so unpleasant in summer. Before the pavement, the air conditioners pumping hot air onto the streets, and the greenhouse gases from (it's official) America's worst traffic, The Swamp wasn't hotter or more humid than Columbia or Manassas. We need...not necessarily legislative coercion, but leadership, to fight local warming. The Ninth District itself needs that, but D.C. needs it even more.

Morgan Griffith on Coal and Related Matters (April 3)

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9), e-mailed on April 3:

"
Monday, April 3, 2017–
War on Coal Ends
President Trump promised to end the war on coal. The Executive Order he signed recently is indication he intends to keep that promise. In his order, the President directed an immediate review of the Clean Power Plan (CPP).

From when the Obama Administration first announced their plan, I believed the CPP was a job-killing federal overreach. The CPP, which would have imposed unreasonable carbon emissions regulations on fossil fuel powered plants, has not been implemented, because the Supreme Court, in an unusual move, ordered a stay while they examined its legality.

The Trump Administration agreed, and made the review of this order a priority. I believe their review will result in an end to the illegal CPP.

The order also dissolves the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases that was created to incorporate the “social cost of carbon” when issuing new regulations.

In testimony written for an Energy Subcommittee hearing I participated in recently, Dr. Ben Zycher explained his view on why the working group’s obsession with carbon was misguided.

Dr. Zycher stated: “It is important to note as an aside that carbon dioxide---the most important anthropogenic GHG---is not ‘carbon.’ ‘Carbon’ is soot, or in the language of environmental policy, particulates; carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless GHG (greenhouse gas), a certain minimum atmospheric concentration of which is necessary for life itself … By far the most important GHG in terms of the radiative properties of the troposphere is water vapor…”

Interestingly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, “water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.”

In other words, carbon dioxide contributes to retention of heat that leads to changes in the atmosphere; however, water vapor likewise contributes to retention and warming.

Water vapor was not targeted for new regulation, as common sense would dictate.

So was carbon merely targeted for regulation as part of the now defunct war on coal?

President Trump is following through on his promise to bring relief from strangling regulations.

The reaction to Trump’s actions from the left, particularly those in the Obama Administration, was swift. Their reaction was also revealing.

Politico reported that Brian Deese, who served as Obama's energy adviser, hopes that coal will not come back. He told Politico that “stock prices for coal-related companies are down, underperforming the market by several percentage points.

Furthermore, according to Politico, he argued that is partly because of the Obama team’s efforts, “not only on the regulatory side, but also with respect to research and commercialization, tax incentives and otherwise.”

He's essentially admitting the Obama Administration had a war on coal.

Although coal may not reach its peak again, coal is not dead. Cutting through the regulatory measures that were aimed at stifling coal will unleash the coal industry to compete fairly and help bring back the industry.

Black Lung Clinic Funds

Mining coal is an important profession, and those who have mined coal have provided Americans with electricity, heat, and power.

Many coal miners are proud of their contributions, like the coal miner featured in a video I saw at the Stone Mountain Health Services Black Lung Clinic in St. Charles. Jerry Moore from Jonesville was proud to have spent his life digging coal, but he wished in return, that he had the support he needed to have his expenses covered as he fought the lung disorder, which would take his life.

I believe miners like Mr. Moore deserve the benefits they were promised and deserve to be taken care of.

Many miners turn to clinics like Stone Mountain to provide the services they need.

I recently led a letter to President Trump, along with other Members of Congress, requesting an increase of $3.3 million to black lung health clinics, to total $10 million.

The increasing demand for the health clinic services in the last few years has not been matched with an increase in funding. In the letter, we explained that some clinics are so underfunded that they are operating with obsolete and inefficient diagnostic equipment, which is needlessly increasing miners’ radiation dose when they receive a chest X-ray.

In rural communities, where many of these clinics are located, depressed economies have made it difficult to find funding, and I believe the federal government should help.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
"

Morgan Griffith on Coal

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:

"
Monday, October 24, 2016 –
Coal’s Death – Greatly Exaggerated
Last week, I discussed mining as one of the ways to create wealth for a nation. Creating wealth through mining is particularly true for the Ninth District. As I mentioned, the mining industry has faced challenges, and among those, the particularly burdensome regulations on the coal industry.
One third of the nation’s electricity is currently generated from coal, and future electric generation from coal is expected to remain at about 30% for Dominion Power and American Electric Power. Also, families across the Ninth District depend on jobs in the coal industry. Therefore, maintaining and restoring coal production and jobs is crucial.
Emerging markets in Asia and other places in the world are increasing their use of coal, and accordingly carbon dioxide (CO₂) output, at a rapid rate. It is senseless to bankrupt American coal and coal-related industries with regulations that will have little impact on CO₂ emissions, since emerging economies are not likely to follow suit.
Instead of regulating American businesses to extinction, I believe scientific research into new ways to burn our fossil fuels is the better approach. This is a more practical way to move forward in attempting to be more efficient and cleaner. If we lead and discover the scientific breakthroughs that make clean fossil fuel technologies affordable, we not only preserve America’s manufacturing edge, but we can export those technologies to the rest of the world and make the world a better place to live in the future.
India has a lot of coal. India has a lot of poverty. India wants to have a clean environment for its people, but first they must have jobs. To have those jobs, India plans to be energy self-sufficient and to be energy self-sufficient, India must, and will, burn coal. Recognizing that the U.S is not alone on the planet, we should lead efforts to find ways to burn coal and other fossil fuels cleaner instead of continuing the war on coal that is damaging the U.S. economy and crippling much of the Ninth District.
Exciting news!
This month, it was reported in Popular Mechanics magazine that scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee discovered a new chemical reaction to turn CO₂ into ethanol. These results are particularly exciting because the testing used inexpensive materials and water at room temperature. These factors mean there is a good chance the small experiment can be replicated on a larger scale and used across the industry. If so, more energy could be available from new coal-fired power plants that could also produce ethanol.
In previous columns, I have also expressed my interest in chemical looping. In August, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced new funding for projects that “enable cost-competitive, fossil fuel–based power generation with near-zero emissions.” According to DOE, this funding included a $3.2 million investment in pre-project planning for a General Electric (GE) chemical looping combustion pilot plant. Another $3.3 million went to Babcock & Wilcox and The Ohio State University for a “front end engineering and design study” for their coal direct chemical looping pilot plant. I look forward to positive results from these investments.
In other clean coal technology developments, Scientific American reported on a carbon capture system in Texas, the W.A. Parish Generating Station. Scheduled to open before the end of the year, it is the largest coal power plant in the world with a carbon capture system that is retrofit. This project is noteworthy because it is on time and within budget, and 90 percent of carbon dioxide produced will be harvested. The project was still highly expensive; however some costs possibly can be recovered by utilizing the captured carbon. The carbon will be pumped over to Texas oil fields to be injected in old wells, recovering the remaining crude oil. This technology may only be helpful in limited areas because the expense can only be justified in and around mature oil fields.
Mastering these technologies will not happen overnight. In the meantime, funding for research and testing of ways to make fossil fuels cleaner and cheaper must not take a back seat to funding for renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
I will follow developments in chemical looping, CO₂ ethanol conversion processes, and carbon capture methods, and I look forward to additional discoveries.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of coal’s death are greatly exaggerated. Technology breakthroughs will allow it to be burned more cleanly. The U.S. can either lead or follow.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
"

[Fair disclosure: This web site favors private funding for tech research.]

Morgan Griffith on EPA Regulations

(Visit his web site, linked in his last paragraph, for comments on the Olympics and on international relations...) From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:

"
Alabaster Towers

As summarized by The Hill, a report released earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the EPA “has not properly analyzed the environmental effects of its ethanol mandate.” The Hill story explains that “The 2005 law creating the renewable fuel standard requires the EPA to write reports on the environmental impacts of the requirement to blend ethanol and other biofuels with gasoline, and to determine whether measures are needed to blunt the effects. But the [OIG] found the agency’s compliance with those provisions lacking.”

For many of us, the results of this OIG report are unsurprising.

For many of its major rules, EPA does not assess the ripple effects of its rules across the economy and often underestimates the potential job losses from its regulations.

For example, while EPA acknowledged potential lost “job years” of up to 26,000 in 2025 and up to 34,000 in 2030 for the electricity, coal and natural gas sectors due to the Clean Power Plan, EPA did not consider the full economy-wide impacts of the rule. The Energy Information Administration recently projected that the Clean Power Plan would reduce coal production in all major U.S. supply regions, while if the Clean Power Plan is not implemented, “U.S. coal production remains close to 2015 levels through 2040.” Based on the EIA’s analysis, the National Mining Association recently projected that the actual job losses in the coal sector alone due to the Clean Power Plan could be 100,000 or more.

Similarly, the EPA proposed regulations on boilers in 2010, which the regulated community concluded would have put at risk nearly 230,000 jobs across the U.S. economy, including over 20,000 jobs in the forest products sector alone. All the while, EPA continued to suggest there would no or minimal job losses from the proposed rule.

EPA bureaucrats in their alabaster towers in Washington don’t seem to understand how the economy in the real world works. They have essentially accused industry of crying wolf. But that “wolf” has consumed our jobs, and our people are paying the price.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"

Remove Coal Ash...to Where?

Here's another petition I won't be signing, although it interests me, and some readers may want to sign it. Do you see what I see in these River Healers' petition?

"

Oppose Domion Power's current dewatering and solid waste permits. The permits as written would allow coal ash toxins to continue seeping into rivers and remain indefinitely on various floodplains. Permanently leaving coal ash waste sites in their current place through proposed "capping" methods removes the environmental responsibility that Dominion Virginia Power owes to the public. 

We have a safer demand. Dominion Virginia Power should be required to move all of the coal ash from these old ponds to a location where it can be safely stored away from rivers and communities.

We demand that Dominion Virginia Power must dig up and remove all coal ash from power stations that are located next to valued Virginia communities and Virginia rivers. We demand that The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, The Virginia State Water Control Board, and Virginia State Legislators act accordingly to our rights and close these coal ash ponds appropriately, by digging them up. Hold Dominion Virginia Power accountable for properly closing coal ash waste sites at the Chesterfield Power Plant. Dig it up!

"

The problem I see is that there aren't a lot of locations that are truly "away from rivers and communities." If this petition had explained which locations are a little further away from the sources of Dominion Power users' drinking water, without being closer to anyone else's drinking water, I'd sign it. DP should clean up its own mess. The solution, however, is not just to pick up the trash in one's own yard and throw it over the fence into the neighbors' yard. The world is round. You can't go very far in Virginia without coming to a river--every one of which is valued by somebody or other--and, strangely enough, people in Maryland and North Carolina feel pretty much the same way about their rivers that people in Virginia feel about ours. And in places where there are fewer rivers, the feeling is even more intense.

Can the stuff safely be transferred to an uninhabited planet? I wish. Can anyone on this planet deserve to have to live with the coal ash residues more than the community in and for which the coal was burned?

Morgan Griffith on the Future of Coal

E-mailed last week from the office of U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"
Future of Coal Symposium

In my previous column, I discussed the Symposium on the Future of Coal-Focused Technology, Innovation, and Industry I was hosting at on April 4 at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA-Wise).

As I had expected, it was an informative and productive discussion on such topics as pilot projects utilizing various new technologies, coal’s rare earth minerals potential, etc.

Though things in the coal industry and in coal-producing regions are difficult, and while there is no one magic silver bullet, there is a future for coal. The Kingsport Times-News noted that panel participant David Mohler, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clean Coal and Carbon Management within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy, “…began his remarks [saying] that ‘there is a future for coal…’” and vowed “…that his agency's perspective holds that ‘coal is in the game for decades to come’ because it can help meet the nation's energy needs…”

I greatly appreciate all those who attended and/or participated in this discussion, and am particularly grateful to the DOE and UVA-Wise for their assistance. We can and will work together to help advance new coal technologies. Doing so will help develop more uses for coal and thus will help to protect jobs in coal communities.
"

Personally, I want to upgrade to solar power. There are some complications about using solar power, as there are about using everything, in mountain/forest areas as distinct from flat boring suburbs. We need to work through them.

Morgan Griffith on Firearms Rights

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:

"

Civil Liberties, Lawful Transportation of Firearms, and Accessing Public Lands

Last week, I successfully added an amendment to the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2406), legislation introduced by Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) which protects Second Amendment rights and guarantees Americans ample access to federal lands in order to hunt, fish, and recreationally shoot.

My amendment defends civil liberties and strengthens federal protections for law-abiding Americans – hunters or otherwise – who are traveling with firearms. This amendment, which was supported by the National Rifle Association, was based on a bill I have introduced since 2012 entitled the Protecting Lawful Transportation of Firearms Act (H.R. 131).

The Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1986 includes protections for individuals transporting firearms from places where they are legally allowed to have them. However, while most states comply, others continue to harass and detain travelers who are abiding by federal law. Further, because of numerous improper prosecutions, a cottage industry of lawyers handling the defense of these cases has developed around New York City airports.

As an example, Lt. Augustine Kim was arrested in 2010 in Washington, D.C. for possession of a firearm when he was in transit between New Jersey and South Carolina. Kim, who had been injured during a tour of duty in Afghanistan, had stopped at Walter Reed for a doctor’s appointment and was later pulled over in D.C. Despite having followed federal law, his guns locked in a case in the trunk, Kim spent a night in jail and had his guns confiscated. After months of litigation, Kim agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor unregistered gun charge, which was later dismissed. Nonetheless, Kim’s guns were not returned to him by D.C. authorities until nearly two years after he was arrested.

Additional examples can be found on my website, www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

My amendment puts an end to these practices, and makes clear that the rights of American citizens can no longer be ignored.

Another important amendment added to the SHARE Act was advanced by Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), and requires the U.S. Forest Service to publish a notice in the Federal Register, along with a justification, for the closure of any public road on Forest System lands. My team and I have heard from constituents about the Forest Service having closed private roads without prior notification, and I am glad to support this amendment. As Congressman Newhouse said in a statement following passage of the SHARE Act, “These lands belong to the people, and taxpayers should have the opportunity to enjoy the land their tax dollars support.”

I am pleased that the SHARE Act includes these important amendments. Rest assured I will continue working to defend civil liberties, protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen, and preserve access to our great nation’s public lands.

EPA

According to Reuters, “The U.S. oil and natural gas industry emits more methane than previously thought, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said on Wednesday [February 24] as she defended efforts to curb its output.”

Additionally, “The regulator last year said it would try to reduce emissions of methane, which is far more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide, by requiring new oil and gas processing and transmission facilities to find and repair methane leaks and for producers to capture or limit methane from shale wells.”

In her remarks, McCarthy acknowledged that “methane is upwards of 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”

However, partly resulting from this Administration’s overly aggressive policies on coal, energy companies are compelled to quickly develop additional natural gas infrastructure including pipelines and storage facilities.

I support the balanced use of all energy sources including natural gas, oil, and coal to lower energy costs, grow our economy, and create jobs.

Nonetheless I can’t help but think this is another example of the EPA’s ongoing war on coal possibly damaging the environment. We may have been better off continuing to rely on coal.

Or is this more EPA doublespeak that is in reality them signaling the long-anticipated beginning of their war on natural gas, another carbon-based American energy source?

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"

Morgan Griffith Remembers Justice Scalia...

...Justice Scalia, and one of the last decisions he made. From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"
Monday, February 15, 2016 –


Justice Antonin Scalia

As you may know, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away suddenly over the weekend. Justice Scalia was a clever, principled, incisive jurist and, by all accounts, was a great man. I join countless Americans in offering my condolences and prayers to his wife, family, and loved ones.

I have always thought Justice Scalia’s opinions were among the best. His voice on the Supreme Court will be greatly missed.

One of Justice Scalia’s final decisions was slated to be the subject of this week’s column. As you will see below, it is significant, particularly to Appalachia and other coal-producing regions.

A Supreme Rejection of the So-Called Clean Power Plan

In previous columns, I have written numerous times about the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan. As you may recall, as part of this plan, states must develop and implement a strategy to reduce their carbon footprint. Most agree this means states will have to reduce the amount of energy generated in their state by coal.

The Obama Administration has been working to finalize its Clean Power Plan despite lawsuits arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is acting outside its authority in seeking to regulate existing power plants under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act because the EPA already regulates them under Section 112.

Importantly, prior interpretation by both EPA and the courts would prohibit such dual regulation.

Last week, in what will be among the final majority rulings for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court granted a stay in the Chamber of Commerce v. EPA case, blocking the Clean Power Plan until legal action is completed.

This is a welcome development for me and many others.

Regular readers of this column may recall that I joined Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) in introducing the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042), which, among other things, would allow for completion of judicial review of any final rule in the Clean Power Plan before states are required to comply with its implementation.

In my opinion, delaying the legal question until after the rule is final would only serve to close down coal mines, coal-powered power plants, and electric generation units, costing many coal miners in the Ninth District their jobs and causing electric rates to be higher than they otherwise would have been. Accordingly, I have long believed the courts must have their say on the legality of the Clean Power Plan before states are required to spend a significant amount of money and resources on its implementation.

Perhaps, as has been speculated in the press, the Supreme Court learned a lesson from their recent decision on the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) rule, which was intended to limit mercury emissions from power plants.

In June of last year, the Supreme Court ruled the EPA had inappropriately ignored the costs of the MATS rules. But regrettably, this decision came down late enough that two coal-powered Electrical Generating Units in the Ninth District alone had closed down less than 60 days before the Justices ruled the EPA did not have authority to issue the MATS rule as written.

In powerful testimony regarding the Clean Power Plan before me and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe said, “EPA is attempting an unconstitutional trifecta: usurping the prerogatives of the States, Congress, and the Federal Courts – all at once. Much is up for grabs in this complex area. But burning the Constitution of the United States – about which I care deeply – cannot be part of our national energy policy…”

I agree, and commend those leading the charge in the courts against the Clean Power Plan.

While last week’s ruling is a ray of light suggesting that the Justices are skeptical of the Clean Power Plan’s legality, it does not mean we are out of the woods. The fight against this plan will continue, as will our ongoing efforts to advance policies increasing access to affordable, reliable energy and helping keep and grow jobs for hardworking Americans.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"

Morgan Griffith on ISIS and Other Topics

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"Defeating ISIS

I continue to be horrified and heartbroken by the November 13 coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. I mourn the innocent victims, pray for them and for their loved ones, and pray for the people of France.

I strongly condemn these attacks. Mr. President, the world needs strong leadership from the US.

Unfortunately, it is all the more clear that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – which claimed responsibility for these attacks – must not be underestimated. Merely 12 hours before the attacks, President Obama claimed that ISIS had been “contained.” I and others –including Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the top Democrat on the Senate’s Intelligence Committee – disagree. “I’ve never been more concerned,” Senator Feinstein said on November 16. “I read the intelligence faithfully. ISIL is not contained. ISIL is expanding.”

ISIL – or ISIS, as I prefer – is a very dangerous terrorist organization, and it must be defeated. Aggressive American air power hitting numerous ISIS locations simultaneously and boots on the ground provided by our Arab allies (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt…) can do the trick. A few American sorties a day are not enough, Mr. President.

Working Together to Support Manufacturing

Last week, I was fortunate to have joined some local officials and industry experts in Abingdon at the Manufacturing and Legislative Council Meeting organized by the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing (SVAM).

Manufacturers present reported that they seek “industrial maintenance” employees who tend to the repair and upkeep of industrial equipment and machines. It was reiterated to us that manufacturing is more than “screwdrivers and wrenches” – manufacturers need employees trained in information technology (IT) and electrical/ mechanical engineering. Today, “industrial maintenance” means not only opening the machine, but being able to work on the machine’s computer systems. Almost every piece of manufacturing equipment is at least partially computer-driven. If you have these skills, you can find a job.

They also need employers who can think for themselves and solve problems.

I can’t help but think that some laid-off workers in the coal-producing regions of Southwest Virginia, with their skills, could fill available industrial maintenance positions. Others may need additional training. I look forward to continuing to work with SVAM, area manufacturers, and local legislators in this regard, and will continue to look for other methods of supporting and growing manufacturing in our region.

Update – Immigration and the Rule of Law

As you may recall, earlier this year I joined a number of my colleagues in the House and the Senate in signing an amicus brief challenging the President’s actions on immigration. This brief was filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a continued injunction against the Obama Administration’s immigration actions in the case of Texas v. United States.

On November 9, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction blocking the Administration from implementing its plan. Reports indicate the Administration will likely appeal to the Supreme Court for consideration.

I have said this before: Though I believe the President’s immigration actions are unconstitutional, this important debate is not about whether you like these policies. It is about whether you like the rule of law.

Medicare Open Enrollment

As a reminder for all our seniors, the Medicare open enrollment period runs through December 7, 2015. During this time, seniors can add, drop, or switch their coverage options. Seniors and family members may wish to review the options to find the plan that best fits their needs. For more information, visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

The Volkswagen Diesel Problem – Are You Affected?

The German car giant has admitted to cheating emissions tests in the US on certain diesel engines from 2009-2015.

My colleagues and I on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are investigating Volkswagen’s actions. To echo Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), “Attempting to deceive regulators and customers is a double whammy of betrayal.”

While VW is attempting to figure out how to fix the diesel problem, they are offering a “Customer Goodwill Package.” That package is predominantly a $500 pre-paid Visa card and a $500 dealership credit.

Consumer Reports notes, “…Volkswagen is calling for owners to submit information online, wait four weeks, then visit a dealership and present a driver’s license, vehicle registration, and title or lease agreement. Owners must claim this award by April 30, 2016.”

Information about the Goodwill Package, including the Program Rules/eligibility, is available on www.vwdieselinfo.com.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives."

Tim Kaine on Cleaner Coal Technology

From U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-VA; editorial comment to be posted separately for LJ/Twitter purposes.

"Dear Friend,

This week, President Obama made a historic announcement in the effort to address climate change. He called on U.S. power plants to generate 32 percent less carbon pollution by the year 2030 than they do today. The President is calling this initiative the "Clean Power Plan," and it is the biggest step America has ever taken to reduce the pollution responsible for climate change.

Virginia's contribution to this effort will be about a one-third reduction in its power plant pollution by 2030, a pollution cut it achieved once before, between 2005 and 2012, even without a Clean Power Plan. As the Commonwealth and the country move forward with the plan, we must also ensure that Virginia's traditional coal communities have a place in a cleaner energy future. I have sponsored legislation to ramp up the federal contribution to clean coal R&D and promoted career and technical education and workforce training programs so that these communities can be on the forefront of clean coal innovation, while also diversifying their regional economies.

The consensus is clear – from an overwhelming majority of scientists, to land-use planners in low-lying coastal regions like Hampton Roads, to the U.S. military, to His Holiness Pope Francis – all agree that climate change is real, it is driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, and we must do something about it. In 1962, President Kennedy asked us to go to the moon in seven years. We did it. In 2015, President Obama has asked us to generate a third less air pollution in fifteen years. We can do this, with Virginia leading the way.

Sincerely,

Senator Tim Kaine"

Morgan Griffith on the Clean Power Plan

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, R-VA-9:

"
A Tale of Two Cities: Washington, D.C. and Bristol, VA

In his great novel about the French Revolution, 19th century author Charles Dickens writes of the horrors taking place in Paris, France, and the relative calm in London, England. On Monday, August 3, we saw a less violent but still troubling scenario that calls to mind Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
In Washington, D.C., the Obama Administration announced it is finalizing its Clean Power Plan, which I have written about numerous times. As part of this plan, states must come up with and implement a plan to reduce their carbon footprint. Most agree this means states will have to reduce the amount of energy generated in their state by coal.

Meanwhile, in Bristol, Virginia, Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. – one of the nation’s largest coal producers – announced it is voluntarily filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to restructure as a result of regulatory and market challenges which have impacted pricing and demand.

This is happening not only in Bristol, but throughout the coalfields of central Appalachia. According to the Associated Press, Alpha is the fourth big coal company in 15 months to file for bankruptcy.

I believe government bureaucrats have decided that they do not like the coal industry, and accordingly are going to try to regulate it out of business.

“Let them eat cake,” Marie-Antoinette supposedly said upon learning that her subjects did not have bread to eat. I don’t have to strain my imagination to envision Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bureaucrats sitting in their D.C. ivory towers, insisting even despite Americans’ lack of “bread” (jobs, affordable and reliable energy, etc.) that everything is fine, and that they will help coal communities transition and find a path forward. I can hear them scoff, “They don’t need that much heat.”

Though it goes without saying, I am hopeful Alpha will emerge on the other side stronger and with a fresh start. But wouldn’t it be nice if the Obama Administration were to stop trying to put Alpha and companies like it out of business?

When released last summer, the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan required that carbon emissions from the power sector be slashed 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Its revised plan released this week will increase those cuts to 32 percent.

Additionally, the original Clean Power Plan proposal was estimated by NERA Economic Consulting to have annual compliance costs averaging $41 billion to $73 billion. Because this final rule is tougher than the original rule, I would expect costs will increase.

Where do we go from here?

I am hopeful that in the future, we will have an Administration that thinks differently and understands the value of coal. Additionally, I will be closely following the many lawsuits involving the Clean Power Plan, particularly the suit being led by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

But in the interim, Congress ought to act. Rather than the violence of the French Revolution, we need the Regulations From the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 427).

The REINS Act would require Congress to take an up-or-down vote on “major rules” (those rules that have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more) within 70 legislative days, essentially guaranteeing major regulations would not become effective until approved by Congress. According to an analysis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, President Obama issued an average of 81 major, impactful regulations in each of his first five years in office.

Because Congress for decades has ceded its constitutional responsibility of making the law of the land to the Executive Branch, these rules are not subject to review by the elected representatives of the American people.

Last week, I joined 242 of my colleagues in voting in favor of the REINS Act. If it were already in effect, I would expect that the regulations whose harmful effects we are feeling in Appalachia would have been slowed down, ideally even giving the courts adequate time to determine if contested regulations are Constitutional, legal, and reasonable.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced similar legislation (S.226). I encourage the Senators to pass this important bill.

With the REINS Act, perhaps the people’s elected representatives will be able to keep the D.C. ivory tower bureaucrats from being removed from the consequences their decisions have on people living in Bristol and in cities and towns across the United States.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"

Editorial comment: I like it. "We" at this web site does reflect a "we," whose feelings about the CPP are mixed. About the idea that the White House needs REINS I believe we have a solid consensus.

Morgan Griffith on Coal at Home and Abroad

From U.S. Representative H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

"
The Iran Nuclear Deal – Many Tough Questions

I, like many, am very concerned and skeptical about the announced agreement between the United States, five other nations, and Iran.  I am studying the terms of the deal, but continue to have reservations.

Interestingly, it is not just Republicans expressing concerns about this agreement.  Among other examples:

“Verification is going to be very critical,” the National Journal quotes House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) as having said.  He continued, “Without verification, this is a useless agreement.  Without verification that’s meaningful and effective, it’s not an agreement that I can support.” Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) said at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, “I’ll say at the outset that while I reserve final judgment on the deal until I am able to read it through completely, I’m deeply concerned and disappointed by what appears to be in its terms.”

I don’t understand how the Administration could have negotiated this deal without having included the handful of American prisoners being held in Iran.

After all, the President was willing to swap five Taliban prisoners in order to return to the United States a man who, under the best interpretation, walked away from his post – Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

On the positive side, while Americans are discouraged from using U.S. coal, apparently the President is okay with lifting restrictions on the Iranians importing it.

Another Week, Another Coal Rule?

On July 16, the U.S. Department of Interior proposed a new rule which, according to U.S. News and World Report would “…require companies to restore streams and return mined areas to a condition capable of supporting the land uses available before mining activities took place.  Companies also would have to replant native trees and vegetation.”

Just as companies, states, etc. come to understand one coal rule, the Administration comes out with another.  No wonder industry is afraid to use coal, and our coal-related jobs are quickly being diminished.
"

[Editorial note: I just posted some snarky reflections on "mountaintop removal" at PersonaPaper.com. "Mountaintop removal" is not exactly what most of us think of as mining...and the hope that affected areas could be returned to "a condition capable of supporting the land uses available before..." takes a great deal of faith.]