WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was honored today with the Annual Achievement Award by the Washington Coal Club for his work to defend Kentucky’s coal jobs, miners and their families. Senator McConnell was presented the award by Bill Bissett, the President of the Kentucky Coal Association (KCA).

KCA President Bill Bissett and members of the Washington Coal Club present Senator McConnell with the Annual Achievement Award.

“I accept this award on behalf of our coal miners and their families as we fight together against the President’s War on Coal Jobs,” Senator McConnell said. “I have been fighting against this President’s hurtful policies, and his Costly Power Plan in particular, since he first proposed it. I want our hard-working Kentuckians to know that I’m going to keep standing and fighting for them, no matter what the Obama Administration or its EPA throws at us.”

"This recognition of Leader McConnell by the Washington Coal Club today is well timed as we learned today that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy had the audacity to suggest publicly that Leader McConnell cease his support of coal use and production. Those of us who advocate for coal have great confidence in Leader McConnell's steadfast support and we appreciate greatly his courage and conviction in standing up for coal miners across this country as well as low cost, reliable electricity. While I am certain that Administrator McCarthy's suggestion will be ignored, her words are a great indication that Leader McConnell's efforts are succeeding in defending Kentucky coal and pushing back the Obama Administration's numerous anti-coal policies,” said Bill Bissett, President of the KCA.

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved two resolutions sponsored by Senator McConnell that would halt the Obama Administration’s anti-coal regulations.

The Senate voted to approve a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) sponsored by Senator McConnell and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) designed to stop the White House from imposing anti-jobs regulations that attack new coal-fired energy plants and their workers. The Senate also passed a separate disapproval resolution sponsored by Senators McConnell, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) that would prevent the imposition of anti-jobs regulations that attack existing plants and their workers.

Following the vote Senator McConnell said, “The U.S. Senate voted to stand up for Middle Class Americans, and specifically our hard working Kentucky coal miners and their families, by voting to overturn the Obama Administration’s deeply regressive energy regulations that would eliminate good-paying jobs, punish the poor, and make it even harder for Kentuckians to put food on the table. I am pleased that a bipartisan majority joined us in fighting back. This was the right thing to do for Middle-Class Kentuckians and Middle-Class Americans who’ve suffered enough under this Administration.”

The Congressional Review Act provides Congress the ability to eliminate onerous regulations imposed by the executive branch through an expedited procedure for consideration in the Senate. If both CRAs are enacted into law, they would eliminate both pillars of the administration’s costly power plan even if portions of the plan have already gone into effect.