FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- In a letter to President Obama earlier this week, Governor Steve Beshear said the EPA is knocking Kentuckians out of high-paying jobs by obstructing the opening of new mines and the expansion of existing ones.
The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, was a follow-up to a meeting last week between Beshear and Obama.
Beshear said the EPA has unduly delayed 75 mining permits in eastern Kentucky, that would have created crucial jobs at a time when the nation is struggling to pull out of a national recession.
The governor urged the president to help find a reasonable way to protect the environment, while supporting the mining industry.
