E.W. Jackson pledges to defy, not comply to defend coal jobs

E.W. Jackson, Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia, spoke to mine workers at the Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company in Hurley about their job future.

“The government’s efforts to overregulate coal are an extension of the Obama sdministration’s efforts to shut the industry down. As lieutenant governor, I will stand with every fiber of my being against that. Our leaders in Richmond must do everything we can to restore the coal industry here in Southwest Virginia and I will gladly lead that charge.”

After his remarks, a miner specifically asked Jackson if he was willing to draw a line in the sand against attempts to shut down the coal industry in Virginia. Jackson restated his earlier remarks:

“We have a 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and it says that all powers not specifically delegated to the Federal Government are reserved for the states and to the people. Why our state agencies are going along with what the EPA wants to do is beyond me. But I can tell you, if you give me an opportunity to serve as your Lieutenant Governor, I will stand against it and I will defy not comply. I will say we don’t have to go along with what the Federal government wants to do. We don’t have to do their bidding. We shouldn’t be doing it and we ought to stand up and fight for the people of Virginia.”