CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Sierra Club released a new report that summarizes the first 100 days of the U.S. Congress along with key players, including U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who have and have not been assisting West Virginians with clean air and energy.
The baseball themed report, “Scouting the 114th Congress: Polluters Are Out of Their League”, shows who’s “batting on their side and who’s swinging and missing,” as stated by the club’s Conservation Chair Jim Kotcon, who rallied with others in front of the Appalachian Power Park gate in Charleston Thursday.
“Senator Capito has unfortunately been playing for a team we call the ‘fossil fools.’ These have been voting against virtually every amendment and bill on clean air and climate change in the first three months of the U.S. Congress,” said Kotcon.
Kotcon said they need Sen. Capito to “think about switching teams” to start fighting for clean air to help West Virginians breathe easier.
“We need to promote energy efficiency. We need to be looking at strong clean air standards and actually need help from the EPA to enforce our environmental protections,” Kotcon said.
There are a number of bills outlined in the Sierra Club’s report that look at votes that focus on energy efficiency, climate change, and clean air rules.
“We’re hoping Senator Capito will start playing for the home team and protect West Virginians.”
Kotcon said the hope is to spread more awareness since he believes little attention has been brought to pollution in the community.
Allen Johnson, a coordinator for the Christians for the Mountains, was also in front of the ballpark. He said Congress relates to the game of baseball, which is why the Sierra Club based the report on that theme.
“To have baseball, you have to have rules that are fair that make the game last decades, you have to have umpires that enforce it, and then you have to have players that are willing to play fair and hard,” said Johnson.
Sen. Capito’s office did not release a statement or comment regarding the event.