CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — During a West Virginia trip, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said the Obama administration isn’t turning its back on coal.

Jewell and Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Director Joseph Pizarchik toured surface mines Friday, including Arch Coal’s Coal-Mac mine.

She compared West Virginia to Washington, where communities long-dependent on logging ask what’s next.

Jewell mentioned $55 million Obama proposed in grants for ailing coal communities.

Many West Virginia officials loathe Obama’s coal policies, especially proposed caps on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

In a statement, Republican Congressman David McKinley said it was “about time” the administration visited the area stricken by lost coal jobs.

Pizarchik said he recommended state regulators work with the National Academy of Sciences to study health effects of living near surface mines.