Letter to Senator Capito

May 29, 2024

The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito
Senator, United States Senate
172 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Capito:

On behalf of the 381,000 hard working men and women that depend on the coal industry and coal fired power plants for their livelihoods in America, we are writing to thank you for acknowledging the harm to our nations coal producing regions and working families from EPA’s carbon rulel^ll and to applaud your work to prevent this rule from being implemented through the Congressional Review Act.

By setting unworkable targets based on technologically questionable and economically unrealistic emission reduction measures, coupled with the rule’s impractical deadlines for implementation, the final carbon rule will cause the premature retirement of valuable and viable baseload coal-fired electric generating assets across the country.

As we explain below, the final carbon rule represents such an extreme hazard to our nation’s economic health, electric generation systems and regional transmission organizations that Congressional action is desperately needed to prevent the rule from becoming final.

Gone along with those baseload power plants will be a substantial number of mining and other support jobs throughout the economy. According to Dr. Deskins, Director of West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, coal mining accounts for 37,000 direct jobs in America. Coupled with another 99,000 indirect and induced jobs created by capital intensive mining operations, almost 136,000 00 Americans earn an estimated $10.6 billion in wages from coal mining alone. Coal mining operations contribute $2.3 billion annually to state and local tax collections that support all levels of government services.2 The overall impacts grow exponentially when you add coal plant workers and economics into the economic modelling. Coal mining and coal fired electric facilities together account for over 381,000 total jobs and over $261 Billion dollars of annual economic activity.3 Respectfully submitted on behalf of the following state coal groups comprising America’s Coal Associations: American Coal Council, Energy Policy Network, Illinois Coal Association, Reliable Energy, Inc., Kentucky Coal Association, Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, Montanna Coal Council, Rocky Mountain Mining Institute, Texas Mining Association, Utah Mining Association, Wyoming Mining Association, Women’s Mining Coalition and the West Virginia Coal Association.

If implemented, the final carbon rule will have a devastating impact on America’s coal states. In 2023 over 426 million tons of coal were delivered from mining operations to our nation’s electric generating facilities.¹ Each one of these power plants is imperiled by EPA’s preposterous carbon rule. If forced to close by the implementation of the final carbon rule, a significant market for domestic coal will be lost.

Gone along with those baseload power plants will be a substantial number of mining and other support jobs throughout the economy. According to Dr. Deskins, Director of West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, coal mining accounts for 37,000 direct jobs in America. Coupled with another 99,000 indirect and induced jobs created by capital intensive mining operations, almost 136,000 00 Americans earn an estimated $10.6 billion in wages from coal mining alone. Coal mining operations contribute $2.3 billion annually to state and local tax collections that support all levels of government services.²

The overall impacts grow exponentially when you add coal plant workers and economics into the economic modelling. Coal mining and coal fired electric facilities together account for over 381,000 total jobs and over $261 Billion dollars of annual economic activity.³

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the following state coal groups comprising America’s Coal Associations: American Coal Council, Energy Policy Network, Illinois Coal Association, Reliable Energy, Inc., Kentucky Coal Association, Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, Montanna Coal Council, Rocky Mountain Mining Institute, Texas Mining Association, Utah Mining Association, Wyoming Mining Association, Women’s Mining Coalition and the West Virginia Coal Association.