Lexington Congressman Andy Barr says the latest quarterly figures on coal production in eastern Kentucky paint a dire picture of the industry. He says they show that production is down more than 40% and another 850 coal jobs were lost.
Barr is a Republican who claims that there will be more job losses and economic hardship in the Appalachian region unless President Obama changes his energy policies. He says one-fifth of the nation’s coal-fired power plants have been closed over the last four years. Barr blames “over-regulation” of the industry by the Environmental Protection Agency.
