By Henry Fernandez

June 8, 2019 - West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton said he was disappointed with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for going after coal miners.

Chris Hamilton

“We're very, extremely disappointed in hearing that today. You know, we've been through, perhaps we thought the darkest days were behind us, given the previous administration's attack and war on our business,” he told FOX Business’ David Asman during an interview on Friday.

The billionaire announced that he will donate $500 million to close all of the nation’s coal plants by 2030. The Beyond Carbon initiative was created to bypass the federal government and work with states and utilities to “phase out every last U.S. coal-fired power plant by 2030."

“Frankly, we're real disappointed in the mayor that he would select to come after our coal miners and our coal mining families in the states like West Virginia that rely so heavily on coal-fired electric generation and coal mining and all the support jobs that really drive our economy here. And we're not alone,” Hamilton said on "Bulls & Bears."

There are about 15 states like West Virginia where coal mining and coal-fired electrical generation play a big role in the local and statewide economies, he said.

Bloomberg unveiled the new climate initiative during a commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.