Thursday, January 9, 2014

W.Va. Gov. Tomblin Easing Up On Coal Rhetoric?

W.Va. Gov. Tomblin easing up on coal rhetoric?


A great deal of what this blog concentrates on is how we think of the environment and how institutions, business, and industry try to influence our thinking on the world we live in, you might say it looks at where the rhetoric meets the rhododendron.
            In the above link, Ken Ward, in his blog Coal Tattoo, noticed a slight change of tone in West Virginia governor Earl Tomblin’s State of the State address yesterday. Although still harping on the EPA’s “misguided policies on coal,” Tomblin goes on to say that, “we should remind ourselves a challenge doesn’t always lead to confrontation. Last summer I sat across the table from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and shared our story. We have been hit hard. But with planning and perseverance I believe the obstacles can be overcome.”
            Wow. No mention of a “war on coal” or other such inflammatory rhetoric. Might it be that Tomblin is gently trying to let the folks of West Virginia know that the easy coal has already been mined? That he is hinting that there is less and less of a future for coal in the Mountain State? We shall see. It will be interesting to listen to what Senator Manchin has to say about coal and mining in the near future.

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