Today the United Mine Workers of America threw their endorsement to Presidential Candidate John Edwards. (New York Times Blog)I couldn't be happier. I've been an Edwards supporter from the get-go. It's hard not to be when you grew up in a small working-class town in West Virginia.
All of us who are battling against Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining in Appalachia and beyond remember that in 1999 Edwards sided with Byrd on a critical mining issue. After eight years of looking at the issue he, like many of us, has evolved.
John Edwards voted five times against drilling in the Arctic. He supported a standard that would require 10% of America's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. He rebuked the Bush administration for pulling out of the Kyoto Treaty and supported a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, he supported the "roadless rule," and opposed Bush's Healthy Forest plan and the efforts to weaken the Clean Water Act. And in 2003 he led the fight against Clean Air Act rollbacks in the Senate.
The UMWA's local leaders here in West Virginia have been pretty vocal about opposition to Mountaintop Removal. Every time a Federal Judge tells the coal industry that they have to follow the law the Union "locals" react with that tired old barb that the "environmentalists" are trying to shut down the coal industry. Whether or not there is any truth to that claim is beside the point. After all, the Union's job is to protect jobs!
Back in 2003 the United Mine Workers of America released an official statement expressing their belief that protection of our environment is essential. It said that they support strong regulatory protection of water resources and that families should be protected against blasting debris and degradation of their communities. Bravo! Not every union member or local leader is going to be committed to that belief. It is their right to disagree with us and with the Union. But they most likely agree with the endorsement of John Edwards. Because he IS the working man's candidate!
It might all seem a little bit ironic that coal miners support him. John Edwards has been heard saying NO to Mountaintop Removal. He firmly stated in a 2007 debate that he is against Coal-To-Liquid. He is taking on Big Coal. And he is not taking their big money!
But maybe there is no irony at all. John Edwards supports workers.
By jingo! he gets it! "Big Coal" is short for big machines and a smaller work force.
2 comments:
Wow, it feels great to see someone stand up to king coal. This generation must step up and say no to fossil fuels and protect our environment, were setting up a disaster for future generations.
Mr. Edwards just moved one step closer to getting my vote. Im going t o wait and see if he continues his stance against MTR.
Do you have a link to Edwards statements about MTR? We are trying to track down his position, because I haven't heard anything publically except from Obama, Kucinich, Richardson, and Dodd (who along with Edwards, voted for the Byrd Rider in 1999)
Thanks!
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