CHARLESTON, W.Va., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An internal report obtained by the Associated Press reveals that soon-to-be proposed rules affecting surface and underground coal mining nationwide will cost thousands of jobs across the country. The job and production losses are outlined in an Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Reclamation and Enforcement document. The rules are supposed to replace Bush-era regulations, which the agency never implemented. The OSM has submitted the proposal to coal producing states for their feedback before it finalizes any new regulations. The proposal - part of a draft environmental impact statement - would affect coal mines from Appalachia to Alaska.

"This Administration says it's for job creation, yet its regulatory actions reflect just the opposite," said Bryan Brown, West Virginia Executive Director of FACES of Coal. "I, like most Americans, heard the President last night commit to reducing regulations that take people's jobs.  In reality, these internal documents project how many jobs the OSM is going to destroy. This is outrageous. Coal states need their leaders in Washington, D.C. now more than ever to stand up for our jobs and communities by stopping this bureaucratic abuse."

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal) is an alliance of more than 70,000 people from all walks of life who are joining forces to educate lawmakers and the general public about the importance of coal and coal mining to our local and national economies and to our nation's energy security.  In addition to keeping tens of thousands of people employed in good-paying jobs, coal is the lifeblood of our domestic energy supply, generating nearly half the electricity consumed in the United States today.

SOURCE FACES of Coal