The Intelligencer: U.S. Rep. David McKinley Addresses Wheeling Rotary
Washington, DC,
October 18, 2017
Tags:
Energy & Environment
U.S. Rep. David McKinley believes coal needs to remain a major part of America's energy mix to avoid leaving West Virginia "vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters," he told members of the Wheeling Rotary Club on Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. David McKinley believes coal needs to remain a major part of America’s energy mix to avoid leaving West Virginia “vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters,” he told members of the Wheeling Rotary Club on Tuesday. “I like to focus primarily on energy because that really affects us here in the valley. There are major decisions affecting us that must be addressed,” McKinley, R-W.Va., said. McKinley acknowledged that natural gas makes up an increasing share of the nation’s energy portfolio, but he believes coal is a more reliable source of electricity. “Gas maybe isn’t dependable in extreme weather. … (The) Obama administration rolled back on resurgence of the coal industry.” McKinley recalled the “polar vortex” that occurred in 2014 as an event that highlighted the need for coal-fired power plants. “(After the) polar vortex, 22 percent of power plants couldn’t operate and around 55 percent of those were gas-fired. … Are we going to protect our most reliable power plants?” Last week, McKinley praised U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to overturn the Clean Power Plan, issued by the EPA under former President Barack Obama. The regulation required states to decrease their carbon emissions, but McKinley and other critics of the Clean Power Plan said the rule would threaten the reliability of the electricity grid by making it more difficult to burn coal. To read the full article, click here. |
