9 Aug 2017 7:09 pm
Coal baron turned Republican governor wants a new federal subsidy to boost coal.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a coal baron and former Democrat who switched parties last week to side with President Donald Trump, is now calling for a $15-per-ton coal subsidy from the federal government, a local news site reported.
Justice says the subsidy is needed for national security reasons.
“If you’re all on gas or you’re all on gas and western coal and somebody puts a bomb at a gas junction point or somebody puts a bomb on a bridge coming from the west you could very well lose the entire eastern power grid,” Justice told the West Virginia Metro News.
Justice has met with White House officials, including Trump, to discuss the plan, which Justice openly admits is an effort to save the struggling coal industry.
Under the plan, “the federal government would pay our power plants for every ton of coal that they buy that’s a Central [Appalachian] ton or Northern [Appalachian] ton of coal in order to preserve our eastern coalfields,” Justice said.
He proposes a $15-per-ton subsidy.