Those in government who could make a difference have turned their backs on an industry that this nation cannot do without. The coal industry supplies the energy that keeps the lights on for half the nation, and it is an industry that does not need a government handout to survive.

But while the Obama administration has promoted green energy nationwide, the EPA has been allowed to promulgate any kind of bone-headed regulation it wants so long as it goes against the coal mining industry.

Affordable electricity, produced from domestic coal, powers a big portion of this nation, and Americans can't afford to forget that.

John F. Enyart, Ashland, Ky.