Lawmakers blast Obama ‘war on jobs’ in energy sector

“The war on jobs and affordable energy is real and continues to pick up steam with a swarm of new regulations coming out of President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency contributing to more mine closures and plant shutdowns across the country, Reps. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) wrote in an opinion piece penned for the The Washington Times.

The two men, members of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on energy and power, pointed to Georgia Power’s decision this month to shutter 15 of its oil and coal-fired units. The utility said the action was necessary to comply with federal air pollution regulations. The decision will reportedly cost the state roughly 500 jobs.

McKinley and Griffith also cited closures in Ohio, Pennsylvania, as well as their home states.

“Communities in Virginia, West Virginia and across the country are enduring first-hand the destructive consequences of this administration’s regulatory assault. The mounting layoffs are creating a domino effect, affecting the economies of local coal communities,” they wrote.