Bell County Judge Executive Albey Brock says nearly 20% of the population of eastern Kentucky has been directly affected by the loss of 7,000 coal mining jobs in the last two years. Brock shared those figures with a House Energy subcommittee in Washington Tuesday. The panel is investigating the impact of EPA regulations on the coal industry and the local economies of coal communities.
Brock says eastern Kentucky is more dependent on coal than Detroit is on cars. He says his county’s revenues have plummeted 25% in the last 18 months…
Brock told federal lawmakers families are leaving eastern Kentucky because they don’t see a future for themselves or their children.
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Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth says President Obama’s Administration and the federal EPA are not to blame for the loss of coal jobs in America. The Jefferson County Democrat says he sympathizes with the plight of Appalachian families harmed by the coal slump in recent years.
However, he says the region’s struggles pre-date the 44th President…
Yarmuth claims coal mining employment is actually significantly higher today than it was during President George W. Bush’s Administration. In fact, says Yarmuth, it was greater from 2011 to 2012 than it’s been in the last 15 years.
The Congressman is a member of the House Energy Oversight Subcommittee and attended Tuesday’s hearing.