Dear Duane,

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on climate change and so-called "cap-and-trade" legislation.  I understand the strong convictions you have on this subject and recognize how vital this issue is, not only to you, but also to our state.  I always appreciate hearing from fellow West Virginians on such important matters. 

Climate change is a serious issue that I believe our nation and the world must begin to address by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.  However, any attempt to confront climate change must also protect our economy.  In West Virginia, a critical part of that economy is coal.  For over 100 years, coal has provided West Virginians with good paying jobs and low electricity prices.  Coal currently provides almost half of our nation's electricity and is an essential part of America's energy future. 

I believe that Congress can address these issues as part of energy and climate legislation that both reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously secures the future of coal. To that end, I have laid out seven core principles that must be included in energy and climate legislation: 

o   First and foremost, the United States must recognize and embrace coal as an essential part of our nation's energy plan.  West Virginians have long recognized how important coal is to our economy, but today millions of Americans rely on West Virginia coal without even realizing it. 

o   Second, we must safeguard American energy and manufacturing jobs. 

o   Third, we must defend the U.S. economy against unfair competition from nations like China and India and make sure our trade-exposed manufacturers are never put at a disadvantage. 

o   Fourth, we must protect working families from rising energy costs at home. 

o   Fifth, we must invest aggressively in new and existing technologies - including, but not limited to, carbon capture and storage which I have proposed in bipartisan legislation (S.3591)--to make coal cleaner and establish U.S. energy dominance. 

o   Sixth, we must insist that efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions give our economy and our industries the time that's needed to develop and implement these new technologies. 

o   Seventh, legislation should be the final word providing regulatory certainty by prohibiting the EPA from imposing additional burdensome requirements on coal-fired power plants. 

There are currently several different legislative proposals to address climate change that include "cap and trade".  However, I do not believe that any of these proposals have embodied the seven principles that I have outlined above, and therefore I do not support them. 

I also firmly believe major energy policy should be the result of congressional action and not Environmental Protection Agency regulation. The EPA has limited authority to address economic needs or to encourage new technologies and no obligation to protect the jobs of hard-working people of West Virginia and the nation. That is why I have introduced legislation, the Stationary Source Regulations Delay Act (S. 3072), to suspend any potential EPA regulation of greenhouse gases for two years - giving Congress the time that is needed to address this complex issue in a way that will work for West Virginia and the nation.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me on such an important issue.  As always, I wish you the best. 

With Warm Regards,

Jay Rockefeller