[Ramcat]

So either Barry's lying through his teeth -again- or the union and the 'Rats are going to do to the coal industry what they've done to Detroit.

They already did it to the coal industry in PA.
There are very few union mines left. Actually, there are very few miners left in SW PA. The issue is that we depend on coal for energy. Cap and trade will make energy in this part of the country unaffordable and make business uncompetitive.

[mewzilla]

There are very few union mines left.

IIRC, PA's not-a-right-to-work state. Are there non-union mines somehow, or just no new mines being opened?

[JDPendry]

Coal provides 50 percent of the electricity in America. It directly employs 81, 278 very hard working Americans. By its nature, it supports a large portion of the United States economy. And just for the record West Virginians (the country's number 2 coal producing state), Governor Manchin, Senators Rockefeller and Byrd, and Representatives Rahall and Mollohan all endorsed the Presidential candidate that will devastate an industry and our state.

26 coal producing states, 52 Major Coal Mining Companies, 81,278 Coal Miners

1. Wyoming 2 West Virginia 3 Kentucky 4 Pennsylvania 5 Montana 6 Texas 7 Colorado 8 Indiana 9 Illinois 10 North Dakota 11 Virginia 12 New Mexico 13 Utah 14 Ohio 15 Alabama 16 Arizona 17 Mississippi 18 Louisiana 19 Tennessee 20 Maryland 21 Oklahoma 22 Alaska 23 Kansas 24 Missouri 25 Arkansas 26 Washington