Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., (left) speaks with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, head of the Democratic Governors Association, before Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner at the Charleston Civic Center.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The worst recession since World War II. Angry town hall meetings over health care. Fearful protests over the future of coal.
Republican leaders predict these factors will lead them to victory in 2010, but Democratic leaders speaking at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner said they remain confident.
The keynote speaker was Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, head of the Democratic Governors Association. He challenged West Virginia Democrats to lead the world in developing clean-coal technology.
"It will be Montana and West Virginia that will lead the country to coal that is cleaner and greener," Schweitzer said.
At a news conference before the Charleston dinner, Manchin introduced Schweitzer as a close friend. Both were elected governor in 2004, and both lead rural, energy-producing states.
Schweitzer said the United States cannot wait for other countries to develop the green energy of tomorrow. China already has developed more wind farms than the United States, he said.
Schweitzer also said Republicans were choosing obstruction over working with Democrats to solve the nation's problems.
"If there was a vote on Christmas, they'd vote no on that," Schweitzer said.
Joining Schweitzer were most of West Virginia's Democrat representatives in Congress, whom Manchin described as the party's heavy lifters: Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Reps. Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan.
Increased scrutiny of mountaintop removal mines and climate change legislation in Congress has worried coal miners and their families, especially in Southern West Virginia.
Rockefeller accused "cap-and-trade" opponents of using scare tactics and spreading misinformation.
"They're not doing anything productive but scaring our coal miners," he said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The worst recession since World War II. Angry town hall meetings over health care. Fearful protests over the future of coal.
Republican leaders predict these factors will lead them to victory in 2010, but Democratic leaders speaking at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner said they remain confident.
The keynote speaker was Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, head of the Democratic Governors Association. He challenged West Virginia Democrats to lead the world in developing clean-coal technology.
"It will be Montana and West Virginia that will lead the country to coal that is cleaner and greener," Schweitzer said.
At a news conference before the Charleston dinner, Manchin introduced Schweitzer as a close friend. Both were elected governor in 2004, and both lead rural, energy-producing states.
Schweitzer said the United States cannot wait for other countries to develop the green energy of tomorrow. China already has developed more wind farms than the United States, he said.
Schweitzer also said Republicans were choosing obstruction over working with Democrats to solve the nation's problems.
"If there was a vote on Christmas, they'd vote no on that," Schweitzer said.
Joining Schweitzer were most of West Virginia's Democrat representatives in Congress, whom Manchin described as the party's heavy lifters: Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Reps. Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan.
Increased scrutiny of mountaintop removal mines and climate change legislation in Congress has worried coal miners and their families, especially in Southern West Virginia.
Rockefeller accused "cap-and-trade" opponents of using scare tactics and spreading misinformation.
"They're not doing anything productive but scaring our coal miners," he said.
Rockfeller cited the opening on Friday of the world's first carbon capture and sequestration project at a coal-fired power plant in Mason County.
Coal supporters can't just ignore the climate change bill making its way through Congress, he said
"The question is: Do you want to be at the table to make sure we have this money?" Rockefeller asked.
Rahall acknowledged layoffs in the coal industry in recent months, but he said much of that is because of market conditions, not environmental regulations. He said some mines have begun rehiring laid-off workers.
Rahall credited the federal stimulus package for creating jobs and blunting the impact of the recession.
"We've hit rock bottom," Rahall said, "but I feel confident we have started on the road up."
Mollohan predicted the Democrats would have "no problems" in 2010, because voters will recognize they took the lead in "cleaning up the mess we inherited" from the George W. Bush administration.
Mollohan did not talk about a story in Friday's Washington Post suggesting that he was still under investigation by the Justice Department for alleged influence peddling.
At the news conference, Rockefeller also said he was "really, really angry" with Republicans over their opposition to overhauling the nation's health-care system.
He said Republicans "vote no and offer nothing as an alternative."
Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
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What's more this climate legislation is a job CREATOR. It will boost the clean energy sector- one of the few industries that is growing the this recession, allowing business that are already on the rise to hire even more workers.