W.Va. Pols Vow To Speak In Single, Pro-coal Voice

LAWRENCE MESSINA

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — An array of West Virginia's top political leaders stood shoulder-to-shoulder Tuesday with executives from the state's top coal producers, vowing to form a united front in the face of what they call mixed signals and heavy-handedness from federal mining regulators.

Gov. Joe Manchin arranged the summit, attracting U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., Reps. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and aides to Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.

The group of several dozen, which also included many of the state Legislature's top leaders, met behind closed doors for nearly two hours in a temporary banquet hall erected just outside the governor's mansion. Manchin and a number of the attendees later spoke to reporters at the nearby state Capitol.

"We heard a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, a lot of anger as to how to proceed," said Rahall, who represents the state's coal-rich south. "Certainly, the lack of a definitive plan of action by our federal agencies has caused this frustration."

The governor said those who attended have set a goal of securing a meeting with top White House officials, and then pressing the case for coal "in a clear voice." Manchin has previously pressed for a one-on-one sit-down with President Barack Obama over the importance of mining.