WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Democrats’ ‘War on Coal’:
“For millions of Americans, expensive heating bills and rolling blackouts are quickly becoming the hallmark of the holiday season under President Biden.
“So, it came as no small surprise when the Biden Administration’s climate czar, John Kerry, proclaimed this week that no coal plants should be ‘permitted anywhere in the world.’
“Our former colleague may have bought himself applause from the jet-set crowd assembled at the conference. But his ban on coal would make energy even less reliable and affordable here at home.
“As my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Capito, pointed out yesterday, many states in Middle America still rely on coal to keep the lights on. Kentucky, West Virginia, Wyoming, Missouri, Utah, North Dakota, Indiana, and Nebraska all use coal to generate over 50 percent of their electricity.
“President Biden’s handling of the economy is turning in dismal marks from working Americans. But the climate activists in this Administration continue to wage war on the most affordable forms of American energy they rely on.
“Unfortunately, Middle America is used to footing the bill for Washington’s radical climate agenda. For eight years under President Obama, Kentucky watched the ‘War on Coal’ kill jobs and cripple communities across Appalachia.
“These same communities continue to pay dearly under President Biden. Kentucky coal miner employment has never recovered from the Obama-era coal purge.
“Hasty plans to phase out fossil fuels only force more miners into early retirement in Kentucky and threaten the livelihood of Middle America.
“And the sort of power grid failures we’ve seen in California, Texas, and Kentucky, will become even more common if Democrats’ full-speed-ahead climate strategy continues.
“Meanwhile, our top strategic adversary is scaling up coal production. Despite the Biden Administration’s pleading, China continues to forge ahead with new coal projects and resurrect retired plants. Time and again, the President’s climate czar has happily accepted empty climate pledges from our adversaries at the expense of American jobs and job creators.
“So, Democrats can repeat their tired green energy talking points until the cows come home. But the reality for Americans is all the same: less reliable and more expensive energy this winter.”
