Romney blames Obama Administration for coal job cuts

Sep 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - David McGee Bristol Herald Courier, Va.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney blames President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency for this week's announcement that coal producer Alpha Natural Resources was cutting its workforce.

"President Obama's war on coal has claimed its latest victims with the news that 1,200 workers in states like Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania will lose their jobs," Romney said in a statement. "The Obama Administration's economic and regulatory policies are destroying jobs across the country and coal communities have been among the hardest hit. For the sake of so many hardworking Americans and the families that depend on them, this must change."

On Tuesday, Alpha announced plans to lay off 1,200 workers across the U.S. during the next few months. About 70 Virginia workers were included in the first wave.

Alpha CEO Kevin Crutchfield blamed the cuts on a combination of price competition from natural gas and diminished demand for thermal coal due to changes in EPA regulations.