CHIEF LOGAN STATE PARK — Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin says the loss of coal jobs would devastate West Virginia.

Tomblin, in a recent interview with The Logan Banner during a stop in Chief Logan State Park, said the Environmental Protection Agency needs to realize that coal jobs are vital to West Virginia.

The EPA recently started re-evaluating 79 surface mine permits that had already been approved. More than 20 of those permits are for mines in Logan County.

Tomblin said a recent meeting organized by Logan County Commission President Art Kirkendoll between Governor Joe Manchin and several state and federal legislators should send a message to the EPA that the state needs coal.

Tomblin said he hopes the meeting was a starting point to get talks started between the legislators and the EPA.

“Senator Jay Rockefeller is supposed to have a meeting with one of President Obama’s top White House officials and Congressman Nick Rahall, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and Governor Joe Manchin are all supposed to meet with that person,” Senate President Tomblin said.

“I think it will make a difference. To get access to the person closest to the president and with him coming from a coal-producing state that should bring the realization that the Environmental Protection Agency and others demanding that coal mines shut down is not feasible in this country. Otherwise, we are all going to be completely dependent upon foreign oil and that’s why we’re fighting wars. We need our independence back in this country.”

Tomblin said the coal industry is going to have to look for cleaner ways to burn coal, but, at the same time, the EPA doesn’t have another energy source ready to replace coal.

“We all realize we have to clean up our act in the way we mine and burn coal,” Tomblin said. “But, at the same time, until that technology is in place — and it’s a long way away from being in place — we’re not going to be able to do that. I was recently in southern California where they have 2,200 windmills that went almost as far as you can see. Flying in and seeing that was unbelievable. A lot of people here are protesting us putting in windmills and trying to diversify our energy portfolio. You can’t shut down everything if you want the lights to burn and you want the heat to come on.

“We’re all aware and doing the best we can to try to improve things and still try to burn coal as cleanly as possible.”

Tomblin said he recently visited the Mountaineer Power Plant in Mason County and that facility is capturing the carbon and piping it several miles into the ground for storage.

“We are trying,” Tomblin said. “It’s going to take several years before we can be the kind of globe we want to be and that’s a greener planet. But, we’re working on it here in West Virginia.”