CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A discussion on the Obama administration’s Power Plus Plan should continue among the Kanawha County Commission after a heated debate at its meeting last week.
The plan aims to fund economic development opportunities in Appalachian states hurt by the decline of the coal industry. WV Coal Association President Bill Raney wasn’t happy about the plan’s use of Abandoned Mine Lines funds.
“This administration has done everything they can to put the coal industry here in West Virginia out of business,” Raney said. “And cause the companies to go bankrupt and the miners to be unemployed. And we’re worried about those miners.”
The commissioners declined to vote on whether to support the plan. Wyoming, Lincoln and Fayette county commissions have passed statements supporting the plan.
“This administration seems to want to do this Power Plus plan to make themselves feel better after seven years of trying to put us out of work,” said Raney. “Come down here, hand out a little money and make everyone feel better. It’s simply not fair to do that.”
Last week, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced $7.6 million dollars for retraining programs for displaced miners.
“If you’re going to come down here wanting to diversify the economy, let’s not do it on the backs of the coal miners,” Rainey said. “We’ve got the best coal miners in the world, and we’ve got the best coal in the world. We are clearly a path back to economic recovery. America has more coal than any other country in the world.”
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Caper eventually recommended after a long debate for all parties to meet in the next two weeks and draft up a plan that the commission would vote on.