CHARLESTON – Today’s decision by the Obama Administration and the U.S. EPA to revoke the permits for Mingo-Logan’s Spruce Mine shows an unbelievable arrogance and a total disregard for the impact this decision will have on the lives of West Virginia’s families.

The people of West Virginia cannot allow our economy to be destroyed as we wait for months or even years for a court decision on this issue.  It is vital that our congressional leadership take the steps necessary to bring the EPA’s senseless assault against Appalachian coal production to an end.

This issue goes beyond coal. Across our country, job after job is threatened by the arrogance of the EPA bureaucracy.  Congress must step up and bring this nightmare to an end.  Call your Congressional representatives and senators today. Tell them to end the tyranny of the EPA and restore the balance needed to bring jobs back to America.

Rising gas prices are the elephant in the room that no one is talking about. With 87 octane gasoline now around $3 a gallon throughout the country, we can expect to start seeing increased prices for the delivery of goods and services, as UPS, FedEx, railroads and even airplanes feel the fuel cost pinch.

CHARLESTON – Today’s announced closure of AK Steel’s Ashland Coke Plant is yet another example of the arrogance of the Obama Administration and the U.S. EPA. The closure of the the coke plant will put some 263 people out of work at a time when the nation’s reported unemployment rate is approaching 10 percent and many estimates place the real rate at nearly 15 percent.

According to the company, the decision to close the plant is the result of significantly higher operational costs related to the EPA’s imposition of increasingly stringent regulations.

“As a result, the total per-ton cost of coke produced by the plant is significantly higher than all other sources of coke for the company,” AK Steel said in its news release.

CHARLESTON – Today’s announced closure of AK Steel’s Ashland Coke Plant is yet another example of the arrogance of the Obama Administration and the U.S. EPA. The closure of the the coke plant will put some 263 people out of work at a time when the nation’s reported unemployment rate is approaching 10 percent and many estimates place the real rate at nearly 15 percent.

According to the company, the decision to close the plant is the result of significantly higher operational costs related to the EPA’s imposition of increasingly stringent regulations.

“As a result, the total per-ton cost of coke produced by the plant is significantly higher than all other sources of coke for the company,” AK Steel said in its news release.