This is our point exactly with the reelection of Congressman Boucher. We agree with Delegate Morefield. Someone from Roanoke would not know a lump of coal if it hit them in head. This includes Morgan Griffith who doesn’t live in the 9th District. Morefield’s slip is an example of Republican double speak. Republicans in the 9th District are so desperate to challenge Congressman Boucher that they continue to venture outside the district to find candidates to run against him even though those candidates wouldn’t know a lump of coal if it hit them in the head. There is only one candidate that has a proven record regarding the coal mining industry and that candidate is not from the Roanoke Valley.

The problem with the ad is the fact that neither Congressman Boucher nor Congressman Perriello was even present during the Mexican President’s speech. More importantly, Congressman Boucher has such a strong record on Second Amendment rights that he has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and that organization’s endorsement for reelection.

The attack ad was so off base that it caught the attention of the LA Times on May 26, 2010. The LA Times called out the Virginia GOP for not doing their research before running the attack ad against Congressmen Boucher and Perriello. We certainly appreciate those guys all the way on the west coast and their willingness to call out the shenanigans of the Virginia GOP.

Washington Republican leaders heavily courted Griffith to enter the race. A Griffith victory would officially draw the line that Virginia ends at Roanoke and that we do not matter in far Southwest Virginia. In fact, the Roanoke Valley or the Sixth Congressional District would have two representatives in Congress.

In his acceptance speech, Griffith claimed to be the champion of coal and that he could best represent the interests of the coal mining industry. Griffith, however, has never represented a coal mining region and has never sponsored legislation affecting the coal mining industry. Congressman Boucher has fought and sponsored legislation for the coal mining industry and its workers for twenty-eight years. Can we actually trust someone who lives elsewhere to protect our interests?

This is not the first candidate that 9th District Republicans have imported to run against Congressman Boucher. At least those candidates had the courtesy to acquire a temporary residence in the district before accepting the nomination. Griffith, on the other hand, is content to say that he can see the 9th District from his back porch. The nomination of Griffith represents either shameless desperation to gain a seat in Congress or arrogance that we need an outsider to save us from ourselves.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases are a pollutant, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is now legally compelled to regulate greenhouse gases under the existing Clean Air Act. EPA regulation of greenhouse gases would be the worst outcome for the coal industry and Southwest Virginia. The EPA cannot take into account the unique nature of the coal industry and the electric utilities that are dependant upon coal to power its plants. Over fifty percent of our nation’s power plants are fueled by coal. Industries that successfully opposed previous legislation now stand with environmentalists behind current proposals. In other words, if Congress doesn’t legislate, the EPA will regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act. This is the worst-case scenario for the coal industry.

Congressman Boucher has fought to introduce legislation to suspend action by the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Congressman Boucher is working with other key members of Congress to pass comprehensive legislation on greenhouse gas emissions. Congressman Boucher’s primary concern is protecting our coal industry and the region’s coal related jobs. For this reason, Congressman Boucher helped draft the House of Representatives’ version of the legislation regarding greenhouse gas emissions.

The future of the coal industry is dependant upon our nation’s investment in clean coal technologies. The U.S. Senate passed the American Power Act last week, which contained key provisions regarding clean coal technologies. The legislation calls for annual incentives of $2 billion for researching and developing carbon capture and sequestration methods. Congressman Boucher has been one of the leading advocates of clean coal technologies. Although the final legislation is far from complete, Congressman Boucher and Senators Webb and Warner will fight hard to see that clean coal technologies are an integral part of any climate legislation in order to protect our region and jobs.

The hysteria regarding climate legislation and the demise of the coal mining industry is an exaggeration by the political opposition hoping to gain seats in Congress and the General Assembly. Since fifty percent of our nation’s power plants are fueled by the coal industry, there can be no overnight conversion to another energy source. More importantly, coal is our most abundant natural resource. Leaders like Congressman Boucher are working to see that our most abundant resource is part of our energy future. The opposition, however, does nothing but object to sensible legislation and offers no alternatives whatsoever. The party of “no” simply has no ideas.

The Republican Party intends to nominate a candidate from Roanoke County or the Sixth Congressional District. In other words, if this candidate were to pull off the upset against Congressman Boucher, the Sixth District would have two individuals in the House of Representatives from the Roanoke Valley. Too many elected officials already believe that Virginia ends at Roanoke. The election of a resident from the Sixth District to represent us in the Ninth would assure that Virginia stops at Roanoke. We cannot allow this to happen to Southwest Virginia.

Congressman Boucher has a history of fighting for the residents of the Ninth District. According to Congress.org, Congressman Boucher is the tenth most powerful member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In these troubled economic times, we can ill afford to lose the seniority that Congressman Boucher has established in Congress over the past twenty-eight years. We all need to show our support for Congressman Boucher and attend the convention on Saturday May 15, 2010.

All are welcomed to join Senator Puckett to support the only candidate from far Southwest Virginia running for statewide office this year. Jon operates a successful local business that employs more than 200 individuals and serves on the Russell County Board of Supervisors. In times like these, we need proven leaders from the private sector who can translate those skills to benefit the entire Commonwealth.