Uploaded with ImageShack.us
So like a lot of you, I too am looking ahead to the 2014 midterms. Sure, a lot of people will say it's too early to be thinking about them but this is where I respectively disagree. It's good to start thinking about them now because we could have some opportunities in the House and pick up some governorships in a few states. The only thing that sucks about being the majority in the Senate is we have more seats to defend and this coming year, there are very few pick up opportunities unless fate and/or Tea Party/GOP stupidity grants us another great election year with bat shit crazy candidates. It's common knowledge that Mark Begich or Alaska and Kay Hagan in North Carolina will be the top targets but what we are still waiting on are who is going to announce their retirements. And one of those Senators speculated to retire is West Virginia U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D).
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The speculation about Rockefeller's retirement started bubbling back in June when Senator Rockefeller spoke out against Senator Jim Inhofe's (R. OK) resolution disapproving against new Environmental Protection Agency regulations meant to curb certain toxic emissions from coal power plants. The resolution was defeated, 53 to 46. You can read Rockefeller's speech here:
http://wvgazette.com/...
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Rockefeller expresses his concern for the future of the coal industry and calls out the false campaign big coal spends to strike fear in his fellow West Virginians:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
West Virginians understandably worry that a way of life and the dignity of a job is at stake. Change and uncertainty in the coal industry is unsettling. But my fear is that concerns are also being fueled by the narrow view of others with divergent motivations -- one that denies the inevitability of change in the energy industry, and unfairly leaves coal miners in the dust.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The reality is that many who run the coal industry today would rather attack false enemies and deny real problems than find solutions. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
Rockefeller also lists the challenges facing the coal industry:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Let's start with the truth. Coal today faces real challenges, even threats and we all know what they are:
* First, our coal reserves are finite and many coal-fired power plants are aging. The cheap, easy coal seams are diminishing, and production is falling -- especially in the Central Appalachian Basin in Southern West Virginia. Production is shifting to lower cost areas like the Illinois and Powder River Basins. The average age of our nation's 1,100-plus coal fired plants is 42.5 years, with hundreds of plants even older. These plants run less often, are less economic and the least efficient.
* Second, natural gas use is on the rise. Power companies are switching to natural gas because of lower prices, cheaper construction costs, lower emissions and vast, steady supplies. Even traditional coal companies like Consol are increasingly investing in natural gas over coal.
* Third, the shift to a lower carbon economy is not going away and it's a disservice to coal miners and their families to pretend that it is. Coal company operators deny that we need to do anything to address climate change despite the established scientific consensus and mounting national desire for a cleaner, healthier environment.
Despite the barrage of ads, the EPA alone is not going to make or break coal. There are many forces exerting pressure and that agency is just one of them. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
Rockefeller also mentions that he was the Senator who called for a "time out" on EPA carbon rules so Congress could address the carbon issues through legislative process. Here's what Rockefeller proposed:
http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/...
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Rockefeller’s legislation will allow two years for Congress to consider comprehensive energy legislation before EPA could begin consideration of regulations. The legislation directs that for two years after enactment the EPA can take no regulatory action and that no stationary source shall be subject to any requirement to obtain a permit or meet a New Source Performance Standard under the Clean Air Act with respect to carbon dioxide or methane, except for the widely-supported motor vehicle emission standards.
The bill will give Congress the time it needs to design and pass well thought-out legislation. Comprehensive energy legislation should be crafted with a combination of certainty and incentives to create the right business atmosphere for coal’s continued use well into the 21st century. In order to give businesses, energy company CEOs, and investors a reason to invest in technology, they need to know there will be a market for that technology and some level of comfort around the certainty of future environmental regulations. - 5/4/10
He also brings up the fact that the coal industry rejected this compromise and instead demands for a complete repeal of EPA authority to address and regulate carbon emissions:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Last year, they ran exactly the same play, demanding all or nothing on the cross-state air pollution rule -- refusing to entertain any middle ground, and denying even a hint of legitimacy for the views on the other side. And they lost again, badly.
So here we are with another all-or-nothing resolution destined to fail. This foolish action wastes time and money that could have been invested in the future of coal. Instead, with each bad vote they give away more of their leverage and they lock in failure. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
So Rockefeller's two year suspension wasn't enough for the big coal industry. They want the EPA out of the way entirely. Rockefeller also explains his reason for helping defeat Inhofe's resolution to block the EPA's the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS or Utility MACT) rule which requires coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury and other toxic air pollution:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I oppose this resolution because I care so much about West Virginians.
Without good health it's difficult to hold down a job or live the American dream. Chronic illness is debilitating and impacts a family's income, prosperity and ultimately its happiness.
The annual health benefits of the rule are enormous. EPA has relied on thousands of studies that established the serious and long-term impact of these pollutants on premature deaths, heart attacks, hospitalizations, pregnant women, babies and children.
Moreover, it significantly reduces the largest remaining human-caused emissions of mercury -- a potent neurotoxin with fetal impacts. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
Rockefeller acknowledged that some businesses, including ones in West Virginia, have invested in the right type of technology to comply with this rule. These businesses accepted that the EPA's MATS rule has been in the works for some time now. But most importantly, he calls out the coal companies that haven't prepared for this rule and the motives:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Others haven't prepared -- because they have chosen to focus on profits rather than upgrading or investing in these smaller, older and less efficient coal-fired plants that were paid for decades ago and that they'll tell you would be retired anyway.
That's right. Every single plant slated for closure in West Virginia was already on the chopping block from their own corporate boards within several years.
It's important to be truthful to miners that coal plants will close because of decisions made by corporate boards long ago -- not just because of EPA regulations, but because the plants are no longer economical as utilities build low-emission natural gas plants. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
Now of course Rockefeller pushes the clean coal narrative but it's this particular section of his speech that suggests that Rockefeller isn't ready to call it quits on the safety and health of coal miners in West Virginia:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
It's not too late for the coal industry to step up and lead by embracing the realities of today and creating a sustainable future. Discard the scare tactics. Stop denying science. Listen to what markets are saying about greenhouse gases and other environmental concerns, to what West Virginians are saying about their water and air, their health, and the cost of caring for seniors and children who are most susceptible to pollution.
Stop and listen to West Virginians -- miners and families included -- who see that the bitterness of the fight has taken on more importance than any potential solutions. Those same miners care deeply about their children's health and the streams and mountains of West Virginia. They know we can't keep to the same path.
Miners, their families, and their neighbors are why I came to West Virginia and they are why I made our state my home. I've been proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with coal miners and we've done a lot of good together over the years. - U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D. WV), The Charleston Gazette, 6/20/12
Of course Rockefeller's decision to stand up for coal miners health and block Inhofe's Resolution pissed off the right:
http://bdtonline.com/...
What was Rockefeller thinking? The veteran West Virginia lawmaker argues that the three-year time frame for existing power plants to comply with the new rules is mandated by the Clean Air Act, which he says was amended under former President George H.W. Bush in 1990. OK.
But then he goes on to suggest that carefully orchestrated messages by outside groups who are purchasing paid television ads, billboards and other media outlets are seeking to “strike fear into the hearts of West Virginians and feed uncertainty” about coal’s future by declaring coal is under siege, or under attack.
We disagree with parts of that statement. We believe coal is under siege and is under attack. - Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 6/24/12
But this isn't the first time local and right wing media have attacked Rockefeller for calling out the coal industry's campaign of fear and speaking out for coal miners. Right wing media has also been hitting Rockefeller for his opposition to an amendment proposed by Congressman David B. McKinley (R. WV) to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating coal ash as a hazardous substance:
http://hotair.com/...
For somebody who has been knocking around W. Virginia politics for so long, choosing to go against coal and in favor of the Sierra Club is an odd choice to say the least. And given the area’s unemployment rate and dependence on the industry in question, you’d think this would have been a no brainer for the Senator. Live and learn, I suppose. - Hot Air, 5/12/12
Rockefeller shot back against Rep. McKinley for not supporting his amendment and for being against the coal industry:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://theintelligencer.net/...
"I want to clear up Congressman McKinley's misleading comments about my position on coal ash," said Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "I do not and have never supported federal efforts to label coal ash as a hazardous waste, and he knows it. Reuse and recycling of coal ash is absolutely in the best interests of West Virginia and the country. We just need to make sure that concerns about health and the environment are addressed, too.
"But let's be honest. Coal ash and two other environmental provisions were added to the otherwise empty House highway bill in order to create controversy, not to solve problems," he continued. "Setting standards for coal ash impoundments is, and always has been, an environmental question. Pushing this or any other controversial provision will bring down a highway bill that West Virginia workers desperately need." - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, 5/3/12
So the Republicans and the right have been trying to paint Rockefeller as an anti-coal, pro-EPA job killer for a little while now which of course is completely untrue:
http://thehill.com/...
Four West Virginia Democrats on Tuesday criticized the Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for delaying a permit, which will result in nearly 150 lost coal mining jobs.
Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Rep. Nick Rahall said they were "outraged" by the EPA's decision to delay a surface mining permit for Consol Energy. Approval of the mining permit was expected to lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs over the next 15 years.
Sen. Rockefeller said the layoff notices were caused by "bureaucracy and delay," and also pledged to fight for the approval of the permit.
"There is simply too much at stake," he said. "Both sides must come together to get this resolved for Mingo County and throughout southern West Virginia." - The Hill, 10/31/12
Senator Rockefeller and President Obama have always had a bumpy relationship regarding coal and greenhouse gases but he at least understands the need for coal companies to focus more on updating their technology for the sake of the coal miners health. Plus Rockefeller has also received praise for objecting to the Inhofe Resolution and speaking out for coal miners safety:
http://dailymail.com/...
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Rockefeller's remarks were historic and courageous.
"I believe when the next historian writes a book about leadership, courage and integrity in the United States Senate that this speech today will be featured in that book," she said. "And I'm so proud to know you, senator." - Charleston Daily Mail, 6/20/12
Maria Gunnoe, a community organizer in Boone County who works to end mountaintop removal, said she couldn't stop reading Rockefeller's speech.
"I was just reading it for the fifth time," she said in a telephone interview Wednesday evening. "I can't quit reading it, actually. I've read it and thought about it and go back to it and read it again."
Gunnoe said Rockefeller "truly cares" about people in mining communities. - Charleston Daily Mail, 6/20/12
Rockefeller's speech echoes the caution another former Senator from West Virginia had to say about the coal industry's future:
Rockefeller's remarks were similar to the stern message the late Sen. Robert Byrd delivered in 2009, at the end of Byrd's long, pro-coal career.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Byrd said the coal industry needed to stop using "fear mongering, grandstanding and outrage as a strategy" and instead help stave off global climate change and curb mountaintop removal mining.
Like Byrd's message, Rockefeller's speech seemed destined to be quoted again and again by those who agree. Both messages tell the industry to change itself and both are by senators who worked repeatedly on behalf of coal industry interests. - Charleston Daily Mail, 6/20/12
Of course such a bold stance also attracts some very powerful enemies like the Alpha Natural Resources and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce President Steve Roberts:
Roberts said he felt Rockefeller ignored his constituents and cast a vote that "is disappointing in unbelievable terms."
"Not only a vote, but a speech that is reverberating through the coal community in ways that I really haven't seen another very senior United States senator give anti-coal speeches," Roberts said, referring to Byrd's end-of-career remarks. - Charleston Daily Mail, 6/20/12
Rockefeller's stance as taken a hit to his image. PPP showed him trailing Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito (R. WV) by four points. By the way, Capito, who is cofounder and cochairwoman of the House Coal Caucus, actually believes coal can be used as a source of green energy:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
NJ Some other industries continue to push for a price on carbon emissions, saying that’s the only way CCS can become viable. Do you agree?
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
CAPITO Creating an incentive for the private sector to get into this market is a good strategy. Most of the incentives right now are going toward wind and solar. The president mentioned a lot of green energy [in his State of the Union speech] and then he said “clean coal” as one very small part of that, which gave me a glimmer of hope that he believes coal can be clean enough to become green energy. But there is a lot of competition for the dollars. - National Journal, 2/10/122
Of course people believe Rockefeller echoing Byrd's statements and being concerned about the safety and it's health of it's miners are all signals for Rockefeller to announce his retirement. Rockefeller shot back against these assumptions:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://www.politico.com/...
"This speech has been building in me for about 3-4 years, and the last year-and-a-half it really, really built. It was a speech that I had to give," Rockefeller told POLITICO.
Asked if he was concerned that it would imperil his re-election bid, Rockefeller said: "You can’t worry about all that stuff. I’m getting some good feedback. There’s always a first reaction, which is predictable, often there’s a secondary and tertiary reaction, which is more thoughtful."
He added: "The bill came up, so it was a perfect opportunity to say what I wanted to say." - Politico, 6/21/12
Rockefeller has been in the Senate since 1985. He's been very good to the coal industry in West Virginia. Rockefeller hails from a wealthy family dynasty and spent $12 million of his own money to fund his 1984 election against (no joke) businessman John Raese. yes, the same Raese Senator Joe Manchin (D. WV) defeated twice in both 2010 and 2012. Since then, Republicans have given up on trying to unseat him do to his wealthy and high standing in West Virginia. So it's understandable for everyone to believe that Rockefeller will retire. Especially if Capito runs because she will his the backing of the WV Chamber of Commerce:
Members of the business community were shocked by Rockefeller's speech, said West Virginia Chamber of Commerce President Steve Roberts said.
When a reporter called, Roberts answered his phone, "This is Capito for United States Senate headquarters."
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is considered a possible U.S. Senate candidate. Rockefeller is next on the ballot in 2014 - if he runs again. - Charleston Daily Mail, 6/20/12
Capito would be a true gem for the coal industry in the Senate because Capito has a long history of fighting to keep the EPA out of the way of the coal and energy business for a while now:
http://articles.latimes.com/...
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The EPA says it does not fly drones over the heartland to spy on farmers.
It does, however, use manned aircraft to enforce anti-pollution laws.
And that's a practice that a group of farm-state lawmakers want to stop.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has introduced the Farmer's Privacy Act to sharply restrict the Environmental Protection Agency's use of "aerial surveillance" of farms and ranches -- the latest shot at an agency that congressional Republicans consider a symbol of Washington's regulatory overreach. - LA Times, 6/21/12
I for one am not fully convinced that this is the end of Rockefeller's political career. Byrd himself took bold stances like his vote against going to war with Iraq and his support for repealing DADT and he went on to win his 2006 re-election easily. Of course this will be Rockefeller's first real race in a long time and Capito is a serious opponent. But Rockefeller remembers what it's like to run a tough race in very tough times. He was governor of West Virginia during the recession of the 1980s when coal mines were closing down and unemployment was between 15 and 20 percent. Rockefeller will be 77 by the time 2014 comes around so his age makes his option for re-election questionable.
But I think Rockefller will run for re-election. I don't think he wants to, I think he wants to retire, but he knows Democrats and Republicans in West Virginia are both in the pocket of big coal and will continue to work for them in Washington D.C. Rockefeller realizes the coal industry can't operate the way it is now and someone needs to actually do something about it and it's a risk he's willing to take.
Rockefeller cares greatly about the concerns of West Virginians. He's been leading the fight with Senator Tom Harkin (D. IA) to get Democrats and Obama to reject cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and to stand firm on raising taxes on the rich as part of a final deal:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://www.politico.com/...
West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin of Iowa are circulating a letter among their Democratic colleagues that calls on the president to stand firm on revenue, entitlement programs and spending cuts. They’re hoping to get as many as 30 Senate Democrats to sign on, Rockefeller said.
The letter, which was obtained by POLITICO, is dramatic in its policy prescriptions to avert the fiscal cliff.
For one, it says the president should insist on $1 in revenue for each $1 in spending cuts. It also says that the $917 billion in spending cuts enacted under last year’s agreement to increase the debt ceiling should be counted toward the next round of deficit reduction.
“These cuts are real, and have an effect on everything from housing to education,” according to the letter. “To ignore the significance of these cuts — by not counting them — further threatens programs that benefit working families.” - Politico, 11/14/12
Whether or not he runs again, he knows the dangers someone like Capito could have on West Virginians if she is in the Senate. Rockefeller may have the coal industry and Chamber Of Commerce against him but he has a terrific track record and his latest stances in protecting coal miners should build him an army of support. And like Byrd, Rockefeller wants to save Appalachia's coal industry from heading into a decline:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://wvgazette.com/...
"Face reality," Rockefeller declared in a West Virginia Day speech. Three years earlier, the aging Byrd said it's time to "speak the truth" and "have an open and honest dialogue about coal's future in West Virginia." - Charleston Gazette, 11/6/12
If Rockefeller runs, he could be 2014's Harry Reid and with Capito as his opponent, Rockefeller could certainly pull off a surprise comeback. I can't honestly think who could be a great candidate on our side to run for Rockefeller's seat if he retires and we really wouldn't land a Democratic candidate that will call out big coal like Rockefeller or Byrd has. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Senator Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall don't have the balls to speak the truth. Plus, coal companies should really take Rockefeller's words not as a threat but as wide awakening:
http://www.forbes.com/...
Coal’s future, he insists, rest with the development of new technologies such as those that can capture and bury carbon emissions and those that can gasify coal, mitigating many harmful emissions. It’s especially true in a world where the demand for energy is expected to rise and where all fuels will have a role. But if advanced coal generation is to reach fruition, Rockefeller says that the coal sector will need a federal partner — one that it cannot afford to continue alienating.
Increased government oversight may be coal’s most conspicuous villain. But its real culprit right now is a lot tougher: free market forces. Here, coal’s true competition is natural gas, which is now just as cheap and potentially more abundant. It’s also cleaner and easier to permit, enabling it to capture some of coal’s market share. - Forbes, 11/8/12
Rockefeller will have to spend big to keep his job and I think this old dog still has some fight left in him. I'm happy to see him evolve highly on this issue and glad to know there's someone in the Senate speaking the truth about big coal's propaganda campaign. It's still unclear if Rockefeller will call it quits in 2014 but he could be taking a hint from Senator Mark Begich (D. AK) in taking a bold stance before the midterms. One can only hope.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us