National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn today responded to comments Senator Obama reportedly made in a January 17 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.  In response to a question, the senator said his climate change policy would “bankrupt” US coal: “Bankrupting the coal industry would be tantamount to bankrupting the American economy. Coal generates half of our nation’s electricity, employs hundreds of thousands of Americans and provides millions of dollars in revenue to coal states.

“Destroying the coal industry would break America’s energy backbone.  It would raise the cost of energy for households and businesses throughout the country and create massive job losses.  We trust the candidates understand this and do not believe that destroying the coal industry is part of the change we need.”