| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
Coal
Coal produces nearly fifty percent of our nation's electricity. It powers our homes, schools and workplaces. Without coal miners working deep below ground to mine coal, our nation would literally grind to a halt. While coal is the backbone of the nation's electricity, it also plays an important role in West Virginia's economy, culture and history. Coal has shaped the state's past, and promises to be a significant part of its future. That's why Senator Rockefeller works so hard to support West Virginia miners and the coal industry. As Governor and Senator, Jay Rockefeller has long fought to make West Virginia's coal mines safer. He has fought to strengthen the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and he is a co-author of the MINER Act - legislation that required the greatest investment in mine safety in a generation. Rockefeller has also been a leading champion for protecting health care benefits for miners and their families. He played a crucial role in passing the Coal Act of 1992 - the landmark legislation in which Congress established a health benefits fund for the nation's coal miners. In recent years, Senator Rockefeller has fought to make sure that coal, using clean coal technologies, is part of the solution to our growing need for energy independence. He successfully fought to put clean coal on the same footing as other alternative fuel sources, such as biodiesel and ethanol, and he's authored legislation that would jump-start the development of an environmentally sound coal-to-liquids program aimed at providing transportation fuels to power trucks, cars and airplanes. Additionally, Senator Rockefeller has championed federal investments in the research and technology needed to tackle the greatest challenge of the 21st century - carbon capture and sequestration. Senator Rockefeller has a long history of efforts to improve mine safety in West Virginia and throughout the country. He has fought to ensure funding for the implementation of the MINER Act, and to make sure that the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has the financial resources it needs to carry out its important mine safety inspection mission. More... Senator Rockefeller has consistently fought to protect the health care benefits for 200,000 retired coal miners and their dependents that were promised to them under an historic agreement between President Truman and UMWA President John L. Lewis in 1946. More... Senator Rockefeller has long been an advocate for coal miners, as well as thier spouses, who have suffered from Black Lung, a fatal disease where coal dust infiltrates the lungs. More... Senator Rockefeller believes that West Virginia is uniquely poised to play an important role in making our nation more energy independent. More... Senator Rockefeller has strongly supported efforts to reclaim abandoned mines to mitigate environmental degradation and to alleviate health issues for people living or working around those sites. More... Senator Rockefeller believes that mining must be done in way that protects the environment, but also protects jobs and West Virginians' way of life. More... |
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