Posted on 09/15/2010 12:16:26 PM PDT by goldendays
Appalachian Coal Miners Say EPA Rules Are Killing Their Jobs By Judson Berger Shown here is an Appalachian coal mine, featured in a video produced by FACES of Coal. (FACES of Coal) Michael Fox can literally see where his job ends. The 14-year veteran of the West Virginia coal mining industry is about a year and a half out from finishing his current project, and he can see the boundaries of the site.
He doesn't know whether there will be any work left for him after that, since a wave of environmental regulation has put his firm's other permits on hold. "Unless we can get a permit, we can't extend the job no farther," he said. "Right now, I don't know if I can make it or not." Fox, who is married and has three kids, is among the hundreds of Appalachian miners who plan to rally in Washington, D.C., Wednesday in a bid to pressure the Obama administration to loosen restrictions on coal mining in their states.
They say the rules amount to a de facto freeze on a chunk of the industry, jeopardizing jobs in one of the most economically depressed parts of the country. Since last year, The Environmental Protection Agency has stepped up regulation on mountaintop coal mining across six Appalachian states because the explosives that are used to remove mountain surfaces send debris into rivers and streams, endangering the environment.
But with the stricter rules in place, the industry, which is considered the lifeblood of Appalachian towns, argues it's under attack. Workers and advocacy groups that represent them say the rules unfairly target their region and require mining firms to meet unrealistic standards.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Backlash over China curb on metal exports China's draconian export curbs on rare earth minerals needed by the rest of the world for frontier technologies is escalating into a serious diplomatic and trade clash with the United States and other leading powers.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor Published: 9:52PM BST 29 Aug 2010 16 Comments
Labourers work at a rare earth mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province Photo: REUTERS Japan's foreign minister Katsuya Okada issued what amounted to a formal protest at top-level meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing over the weekend, saying the sudden cut-off was "affecting the global production chain". It is the latest sign of rising pressure after angry complaints by companies outside China that rely on this family of 17 metals for hybrid cars, mobile phones, superconductors, navigation, and a host of high-tech industries.
Related Articles China's rising bank debt could leave nation exposed Venezuela 'to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia' Rio Tinto profits tumble as commodity boom falters Property and miners drag on the markets Australia steps up pressure on China over Rio Tinto workers Why the restless Chinese are warming to Russia's frozen east China's commerce minister Chen Deming said that Beijing would not back down over the export quotas. "Mass-extraction of rare earth will cause great damage to the environment, that's why China has tightened controls," he said, repeating the official line. Beijing set off shockwaves in early July when it announced a 72pc reduction in rare earth exports over the second half of this year. The country has acquired a near monopoly, with 97pc of global output after under-cutting the rest of the world with Mongolian ores in the 1990s. The sudden cut-off since July has drastically restricted supplies to the rest of world. The last US mine shut 14 years ago, discouraged by tough US environmental rules. The US General Accounting Office said China now has a "dominant position" with market power. "Rebuilding a US rare earth supply chain may take up to 15 years," it said. Washington is examining claims that China's curbs breach World Trade Organisation rules by giving preferential access to Chinese companies. The US Trade Representative is collecting data from US firms to assess the basis for a legal challenge. There are strong suspicions that Beijing's aim is to force foreign companies to locate technology plants in China. Baotou Steel High Tech Co said in February that it was building storage space for 200,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides. The company has since been told to stockpile metals by party bosses in Inner Mongolia. China Daily reports that Baotou and Jiangxi Copper are aligning their policies and now "virtually control" the market. China claims it will need a growing proportion of these metals for its own industries, but US and Japanese officials say privately that Beijing's methods are not in keeping with the WTO ethos. Japan has already drafted a "Strategy For Enhancing Stable Supplies of Rare Metals" and has been stockpiling. Rare earth metals are sprinkled in iPads, BlackBerrys, plasma TVs, lasers, wind turbines, hybrid engines, and smart bombs. They cannot easily be replaced, if at all. Neodymium enhances magnets at high heat, and cerium is used in catalytic converters. Rare earth ores are not in fact rare, merely scattered and costly to extract. There are ample reserves in the US, Australia, Canada, Russia, and Greenland. A number of explorers are reopening mines but will not produce significant amounts until mid-decade.
Don’t they know that’s the government’s new job? To kill all private jobs???
That was the idea behind the EPA. Kill jobs without legislature.
Green Jobs,China will make all the money
“EPA Rules Are Killing Their Jobs”
Yep, that’s the plan. Don’t be surprised if Obama introduces a bill which would enable the Feds to own our mining industry.
Time to kill the EPA.
EPA needs to be eliminated along with the Education Dept. They are worthless and cost billions of dollars. Want to cut spending? Start here.
Yet many of them continue to vote democrat.
Maybe PA needs to vote for Obama again.
The EPA is to powerful, it must be stop
They can complain all they want to Obama’s EPA, but until they stop voting for democRATs, their situation won’t get better.
In order to save the nation’s economy from the watermelons (green on the outside and red on the inside), conservatives need to dismantle the EPA, a very BAD idea from its inception by Nixon.
The states should love their own environment enough to regulate clean air and water standards. There is no reason to throw people out of work because of an insect or a fish, and states would have more sense than to do so. The people of each state could keep an eye on how the regulators dealt with companies when they polute.
Obama and company are turning states like Ohio and Pennsylvania into Michigan: jobless and welfare dependent.
Yeah, why the surprise? Back during the campaign, candidate Obama said he wanted to destroy the coal industry and the bitter clingers who depend on it for their livelihood. And PA still voted for him. These people are the agents of their own destruction.
Left to its own unbridled ambitions the EPA will be requiring permits to have babies. Then there WILL be “Illegal Human Beings”.
Hope & Change, hope & change.....get with the program......try one of the new Green Jobs......
Election promises Nov 2008:
“Obama and Coal: Obama Admits His Policies Will “Bankrupt” Coal Industry”
http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/11/obama-and-coal-obama-policies-will-bankrupt-coal/
Don’t they remember?
>Left to its own unbridled ambitions the EPA will be requiring permits to have babies. Then there WILL be “Illegal Human Beings”.<
You forgot to add the word “white” into you statement.
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