May 10, 2016 - Throughout the day today West Virginians will head to the ballot box where their votes could reaffirm the role coal plays in West Virginia and the future of American energy policy.

“For generations, coal has played an integral part in the lives of Mountaineers,” said Laura Sheehan, senior vice president of communications for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.  “That’s why this election is so important; the next president’s energy policies will have a tremendous impact on West Virginia families and an industry that powers and empowers our country.  So as voters head to the polls today, expect them to reaffirm the candidates who keep coal on their mind.”

The current administration is backing a costly Power Plan that if implemented will further decimate West Virginia’s economy.  As the plan mandates steep carbon emission reductions, West Virginia will have to move-away from coal-based power which currently provides 94 percent of the state’s energy needs.  The move to more costly, less reliable sources of power will cause price increases as high as 33 percent with peak year increases up to 45 percent.  This means families across the state already struggling to make ends meet will have even less money for groceries, home heating and cooling, healthcare or childcare.

“We need policy leaders in Washington and across the 50 states who are willing to stand up and acknowledge that EPA’s costly and illegal Power Plan will severely harm not only West Virginia but the U.S. economy as a whole,” said Sheehan.  “This gross executive overreach constitutes a marked change in EPA’s role from environmental regulator to determinant of electricity generation, leading to job losses, higher electricity rates and increased strain on the electrical grid.  The deleterious effects do not justify the questionable benefits.”

As part of the judicial review process on the legality of EPA’s Power Plan, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on June 2.