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Hoppy’s Commentary for Friday

You can usually count on Cecil Roberts to say what’s on his mind. 

The long-time president of the United Mine Workers of America is known for his fiery speeches, especially when he’s on the stump in front of a group of union miners. 

In interviews his tone is more subdued, but the content remains candid and, at times, controversial.

This week, during an appearance on Metronews Talkline, Roberts criticized EPA administrator Lisa Jackson for proposed new limits on greenhouse gas emissions.  The rule will make it virtually impossible to build coal-burning power plants in the future.

“The Navy SEALs shot Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and Lisa Jackson shot us in Washington,” Roberts said.

It was a headline grabbing comment.  The national media picked it up and, I’m told, word reached the EPA, which was none too happy with Roberts’ analogy.

Tough. 

Somebody has to get the agency’s attention, and if traditional and more diplomatic approaches don’t work, it’s befitting that Roberts let fly with an invective that causes the agency bureaucrats, policy makers and the public to pay attention.

The Obama administration’s EPA has put Roberts, the union and its 105,000 members in a tight spot.  The UMWA endorsed candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential race. At the time, Roberts thought Obama was going to be a brother in coal.

The United Mine Workers Journal even put a picture of Obama on the cover of the 2008 September-October edition with the headline, "He’s on our side."

“Sen. Obama is from a coal state,” Roberts said in May 2008.  “He understands that coal will remain a primary source for electricity generation in this country for many decades to come and he will join with the UMWA as we work to ensure that it will be used for that purpose in an environmentally responsible way.”

Oops.

Roberts did not suspect that the Obama administration’s definition of “environmentally responsible” included using executive action to eliminate coal as a primary source of energy in this country in the future.

Roberts and his members have been hung out to dry by this administration.  The 2012 Obama campaign has made a tactical decision to reinforce its standing with the left and environmentalists and sacrifice one of the labor unions that supported Obama in 2008. 

As the union leader said on CNBC Thursday night, only a few state have coal, but environmentalists are in all 50 states.

Roberts and the union will sit out this Presidential race.  No, endorsing the Republican nominee is not going to happen. For the labor unions, it’s only a choice of whether to support the Democratic nominee or stay on the sideline.

So the sideline it is. 

The next time Roberts sits down with Jackson or top EPA officials it’s going to be awkward.  The “Lisa Jackson shot us” comment is one that people don’t easily forget. 

What the EPA may not realize is that, given the full impact of the EPA’s actions on the coal industry, the Obama administration’s betrayal of the UMWA and Cecil Roberts’ notorious candor, the union leader could have said a lot worse.

 





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