
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 7, 1990                   TAG: 9006080006
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BOUCHER, TRUMKA CLASH ON EFFECT OF ACID RAIN BILL

Rep. Rick Boucher and United Mine Workers President Richard Trumka disagree over what effect the acid-rain provisions of federal clean air legislation will have on Southwest Virginia's coal industry.

The legislation, passed May 23 by the House of Representatives, lets electric utilities choose how they will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions. "Most utilities will meet the new emission standards through a greater use of low-sulphur coal which we mine in Southwest Virginia," said Boucher, D-Abingdon.

"We can anticipate an expansion of coal sales by as much as 15 percent and the creation of as many as 2,300 additional coal-mining jobs by 1996 as a result of the passage of this legislation," he said.

"In view of the fact that between 2.5 and three support jobs are created for each new coal-mining job, the total job growth in Southwest Virginia from the passage of our bill could be as high as 9,000."

Trumka, however, asked about the Clean Air Act when he was in Russell County Monday, said supporters of the legislation had not taken into account that it will let natural gas become more competitive. He said fossil fuels generally will be used less to meet the requirement of reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by half in the next 10 years.

He said that could mean a sales loss of 400 million tons of coal a year.

by CNB