{Frankfort, Kentucky}...More than 500 coal miners and supporters and over 100 environmentalists held separate rallies in Frankfort Tuesday before going into a public hearing the EPA scheduled to get comments on 36 stalled mine permits. State officials have approved the permits, but the EPA is holding them up. Environmentalists urged the EPA to stand its ground because they believe the proposed mining operations would pollute streams. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell added to the heated issue Tuesday in Washington, charging in a floor speech that his coalfield constituents are under siege by the EPA. McConnell said the people of Kentucky are amongst the hardest-working people on the planet, but far too many Kentuckians are unemployed and the prospect for future employment remains daunting. McConnell asked how they can be expected to compete if their own government is working against them. McConnell said 18,000 Kentuckians work in the coal industry, and nearly 200,000 others rely indirectly on the coal industry for their jobs, accounting for more than $1 billion in wages each year. Matt Wasson, a spokesman for the environmental group Appalachian Voices, said coal operators and politicians are attempting to mislead the public by saying the EPA's hold on the permits is costing jobs. The environmental activists said coal operators, by sponsoring the mass demonstration in Frankfort, were attempting to bully the EPA to cave in on the permits. Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bissett said he really doesn't believe, even with the tremendous turnout and the powerful voices for coal, that the EPA is going to change its mind.
