Will You Defend Reliable and Affordable Energy?
By Laura Sheehan
May 10, 2016 - Today is Primary Day in West Virginia, and that means you and your neighbors will have the opportunity to make the case for your party’s respective nominee in the November elections.
And when you head to the polls today, keep in mind your selection will play a role in what the future holds for West Virginia’s coal country, our nation’s energy policies and beyond.
Right now, 94% of West Virginia’s electricity is generated from coal. Yet, if Obama’s costly Power Plan survives judicial review, West Virginia’s energy mix will have to move-away from affordable and reliable coal-based power. The move to more costly, less reliable sources of power will cause electricity price increases as high as 33 percent with peak year increases up to 45 percent. These increases will force families across the state already struggling to make ends meet to make tough choices about whether to pay for groceries, home heating and cooling, or healthcare or childcare. Choices no one should have to face.
And if the courts refuse to invalidate the power plan, it’ll be up to the next president to determine whether West Virginians and Americans nationwide have to suffer under the burdens imposed by over-reaching federal energy policy.
So as you’re pulling the lever, pushing the button, punching the chad or writing in your favorite candidate, remember: vote for affordable and reliable power. Vote for jobs. Vote for coal.
Laura Sheehan