Sen. Manchin addresses Colorado Mining Association meeting
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) gave the keynote address at the opening of the Colorado Mining Association’s 116th National Western Mining Conference held in Denver on April 15. Manchin, who was appointed to replace Sen. Robert Byrd who passed away in 2010, is also the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining. He is also a member of the Senate Armed Services; Banking , Housing and Urban Affairs; and the Energy and Natural Resources Committees. Manchin is one of the few unapologetic supporters of mining in Congress. In his speech, he talked about growing up in a coal mining community of Farmington, WV in a family of coal miners. When asked if he would change his party affiliation to Republican, he quickly said he is a West Virginia Democrat, not a D.C. Democrat.
Sen.
Manchin addresses Colorado Mining Association meeting
As a conservative Democrat, he is in a
minority of Senators that try to reach consensus and compromise on issues,
especially those affecting mining. He
talked about the problem of agencies, like EPA, who establish crippling regulations
and policies, such as power plant emission limits for coal fied power plants, without
accompanying legislation that has the support of elected representatives of the
American people. Federal management by
regulatory fiat seems to be the way around Congressional approval. Manchin, who was Governor of WV when the
Upper Big Branch disaster occurred in 2010, is a staunch supporter of pragmatic - not punitive - mine safety. He understands that Congress cannot legislate
mine safety. Overall, he said all the
right things that an audience of mining professionals wanted to hear. However, getting things done in Washington,
where Congressional approval rating hover around 13% and the air is filled with
partisanship, is another story.