Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV), spoke in opposition to the EPA’s proposed job-killing power plant rule at the headquarters of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

Rep. McKinley’s testimony as prepared for delivery is below:

“I’m here to be the voice to the families who are among the expanding casualties of this war on coal.

Some people say the war on coal doesn’t exist. That it’s a figment of our imagination. But when we hear words of President Obama and his Administration: “coal makes us sick” or “coal is my worst nightmare,” what other conclusion can we draw?

To the unelected bureaucrats and the EPA I say, come to my district. They’ll find thousands of men, women, and children whose lives have been ripped apart by the actions of the EPA. Obama and his EPA have shown a callous disregard for hardworking Americans they are hurting with excessive regulations.

These families are not statistics, they are people. They are husbands and wives, moms and dads, neighbors and friends.

The coal mines and power plants threatened by these regulations are not in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. They’re in small towns like Mannington, Benwood, and Grafton. These are the places I go home to every weekend.

I see the look on the face of the 50-year old coal miner who has lost his job. It’s the only job he’s ever known, a good job. Where else will he find work?

I talk to the wife of the worker at the coal fired power house being shuttered. How are they going to put food on the table for their kids?

These are small towns. If you shut down a coal mine or a power plant, you shut down an entire community. In many places these are the only good jobs available. There are real consequences to this anti-coal agenda.

Of course, we all want clean air and fresh water. But we need to achieve it in a way that doesn’t impose a crushing cost on hardworking American families.

The impact will be felt far beyond West Virginia and other coal producing areas. We’re just the front lines.

The increased cost of electricity will be borne by those who can least afford it – seniors on a fixed income and low income families.

It will make American manufacturers even less competitive. This will lead to more good paying jobs going off shore to other countries where they’re burning coal.

While we are turning away from coal, foreign countries like China, India, and Germany are increasingly turning to it. They understand that affordable, dependable energy is key to economic growth.

This reminds me of the quote from leadership expert John Maxwell – “he who thinks he is leading, but has no followers, is merely a man taking a walk.”

The EPA and the President ought to look over their shoulders—no one else is following us. The Administration is simply handicapping our own competitiveness so it can feel good about doing something.

I’m not going to sit here and say the climate isn’t changing. The question is what’s the appropriate response?

Let’s be realistic. These regulations being proposed for coal fired power plants are impractical, unattainable and avoidable. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing.

Come to Appalachia and listen to the voices of the people whose lives you are playing with. Listen to the communities you are threatening.

Their voices deserve to be heard.

Thank you for your time today.”