Congressman Nick Joe Rahall (D - WV) had a busy day in Logan on May 27 as he met with members of the Logan County Commission, the Logan Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Logan to discuss roads, healthcare and the future of coal mining.

Much of Rahall's day was taken up discussing energy, mining permits and the future of coal.

"Energy is much on the minds of our people," Rahall said, specifying that concerns about the permitting process had many worried as did proposed climate change legislation. Rahall said much of what people had heard regarding the topics amounted to rumors and falsehoods and noted that President Obama understands the importance of the coal industry to the national economy and energy infrastructure.

Of internet claims that Obama was out to put the coal industry under, Rahall said, "nothing could be further from the truth," adding that Obama's rival Sen. John McCain was virulently opposed to the process of surface mining.

Rahall said he had met with EPA officials, Obama staff members and coal industry and UMWA reps about coal related issues and that many people were working together on the challenges mining faces.

Rahall said the EPA had confirmed that out of 48 backlogged mining permits the agency ha received and reviewed "it has expressed concerns about only six, and of those six just three are in West Virginia."

Rahall said the EPA's job is to examine mining permits and that for eight years under the Bush administration the agency "was told not to do their job."

Environmental protection laws have been on the books for over a decade Rahall said noting that surface mining had faced many challenges in Washington in the past and prevailed. Some of the challenges lead to improvements such as the post-mine land use regulations passed during the Carter administration, he noted.

Rahall said that when the EPA had issued some letters about surface mining permits some irresponsible people in the media had reported that the EPA was going to shut down surface mining, "which was not true."

"I have heard those same rumors," Rahall said, noting that he met with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, EPA Office of Water Chief of State Greg Peck, White House Council of Environmental Quality Chairperson Nancy Sutley and others about the matter and had spoken with Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and discussed the surface mining issue.

"It's their goal that water quality is not damaged to the detriment to the health and safety of our people," Rahall said. "In each of those meetings I expressed the need for all the entities to get on the same page, to provide clarity and certainty so that the coal industry, our miners and our mining communities know exactly what is expected of them. In each of those meetings I received assurances. The Obama administration knows that it cannot turn its back on coal. It understands the role of coal, both to our economy and to our energy needs. This administration knows that coal will continue to be a part of America's energy mix and a key fuel for low-cost power all around the world for a long time to come."

Rahall also discussed how coal affects the local economy in rural communities like Logan all across Appalachia.

"I know how vital coal jobs are to our economy," Rahall said.

For the industry much of the changes being discussed can bring uncertainty, Rahall said, pointing out that the permitting process could be complicated and technical and added that it was important to work with the industry on their process to get needed permits passed.

Rahall also discussed current climate change legislation proposals including a cap on trade. Rahall said some of the rumors about carbon taxes and energy taxes have been false as well. Rahall said current legislation is being revised and amended and amounts to a market based cap and trade system supported by the US Chamber of Commerce to encourage industry to reduce carbon emissions.

Rahall said he was not ready to sign on the bill just yet.

"I am not for it, but I have worked hard to get $10 billion put in for carbon credits," Rahall said, explaining that the credits would be distributed to the utility industry to keep them from raising rates on customers.

Rahall said that President Obama wanted some legislation passed before an upcoming summit, however he feels that other nations have been getting a free pass on the issue and that they need to address their own carbon emissions problems as well as the U.S.

"Other nations need to step up and do something as well," Rahall said.

Rahall said that the reality was that elected officials could work on such legislation or they could leave it to the EPA.

"Do you want Congress to address this issue or do you want unelected bureaucrats with the EPA to do it for you?" Rahall asked, saying he wanted to see if more favorable amendments could be added to upcoming legislation before he approved of it.

Rahall said his record of 32 years as a supporter of coal miners and their jobs and coal powered energy speaks for itself.

"I have been a supporter of mountaintop removal mining and I will not let a new administration put our people out of work," Rahall said, admitting that coal is under attack not only from environmental activists but from other forms of energy as well.

"Our work is cut out for us," he said.