"Like the regional fuel switching that occurred in the 1990s following enactment of Phase One of the federal acid rain program, we believe the newly proposed EPA rules governing mercury would cause thousands of coal miners to lose their jobs in coalfield communities from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to Alabama and Illinois," said Roberts.

 

"Only the western coal industry would benefit because these rules will lead to another large-scale shift in production from Appalachia and the Midwest to the West. For that reason, the UMWA strongly opposes the EPA rules,” he said.

 

Roberts said the proposed EPA rules provide an incentive for utilities to shift from bituminous coal mined in Appalachia and the Midwest to subbituminous coal mined in the West.

 

"The proposed EPA standards would cap mercury emissions from bituminous coal at 2.0 pounds of mercury per trillion BTU heat output," he said. "However, the EPA proposal for subbituminous coal–which is predominantly mined out West–is 5.8 pounds, even though coal and utility representatives recommended a 4.2 pound cap.

 

“The EPA's own data shows that these proposals will have a crippling effect on the eastern coal industry, while giving western coal a virtual free ride in terms of mercury control.”

 

Roberts acknowledged last week's decision by the EPA to extend the comment period on its rules an additional two months. However, he said that extending the comment period will most likely do nothing to improve the rules, and that the EPA should instead scrap its rules.

 

Roberts then called on coal industry representatives in Appalachia and the Midwest to join the UMWA in calling on the Bush Administration to immediately withdraw the EPA mercury rules.