April 8, 2024 - In response to correspondence and comments made by U.S. Senator Bob Casey regarding Iron Senergy’s Cumberland Mine located in Greene County, Pennsylvania, America’s Coal Associations unite to call upon Senator Casey to immediately cease his rhetoric and acknowledge his Congressional record does not support his expressed concern for the coal industry in Pennysylvania or nationally. 

Senator Casey has had many opportunities over the past two decades to advocate for all the above energy policies necessary to ensure a diverse, reliable, and resilient grid. Instead, Senator Casey has repeatedly  advocated for misguided policies like the Mercury Air Toxics Standards rule and the Clean Power Plan, both of which were later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, but not before the damage was done. Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking its second stab at similar rules, and we call on Senator Casey to have the courage to push back against these and other misguided policies that will shut down American coal-fired power plants, directly impact American coal workers, jeopardize the reliability of our electric grid, and make our nation less energy independent.

The greatest threat to the continued operation of the Cumberland Mine is bad federal and state policies, which are forcing the premature retirement of coal-fired power plants. Grid operators such and PJM and MISO and federal agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Energy Reliability Commission (NERC) are warning that our electricity supply is becoming unreliable and large parts of the country face the risk of rolling blackouts. It is time that Senator Casey uses his voice to stop EPA from issuing new rules designed to shutter coal-fired power plants and promote sensible energy and environmental policies that provide a future for the coal industry, keep the lights on, and protect jobs like those at the Cumberland Mine.

We stand ready to work with Senator Casey, the Congressional Coal Caucus, and his state and federal colleagues to keep Pennsylvania's coal industry and coal miners working. 

America’s Coal Associations are supportive of an all-of-the-above energy strategy but believe the United States should not trade one energy job for another or unnecessarily shorten the life of these foundational     contributors to our economy and industrial job base. All told, we represent 381,000 American workers and $261 billion in annual economic output. 

For additional information, contact Chris Hamilton at (304) 342-4153. 

The following State Coal Associations and Groups have signed on to the above response:

 Randy Eminger, Executive Director Energy Policy Network

Nick Williams, President Illinois Coal Association

Tucker Davis, President Kentucky Coal Association 

Ed Spiker, President Ohio Coal Association

Rachel Gleason, President Pennsylvania Coal Alliance

Jon Ford, President Reliable Energy, Inc. (Indiana)

Judy Colgan, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Mining Institute

Chuck Laine, President Tennessee Mining Association

Travis Deti, Executive Director Wyoming Mining Association 

Chris Hamilton, President, West Virginia Coal Association