West Virginia’s lone Republican in Congress, Shelley Moore Capito, held a sit down meeting with Lisa Jackson Administrator of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
Sometime ago Capito requested the “face to face” meeting to express concern about the impact delayed coal mining permits are having on West Virginia jobs, local economies and the future.
In a Washington controlled by Democrats such a meeting exhibits the influence Capito has developed. It’s hard to believe the Democrats in the West Virginia delegation were not in Jackson’s office months ago.
Let me be clear the other Members of Congress from our State are working on this issue but in varying degrees. Maybe the delegation should look for a legislative solution.
Coal miners and coal dependent communities may want Capito as their representative in Congress when redistricting starts after the 2010 census. One thing for certain our State needs to keep her in Washington.
While writing about our delegation in Congress I was pleased to see in Saturday’s Gazette-Mail Steve Roberts who leads the WV Chamber of Commerce reads phillipsbillboard. He is promoting an idea I urged in September, that our delegation should play hardball by telling the Obama folks they have no plans to further support healthcare reform – until EPA stops the war on West Virginia.