U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville) this week was reappointed as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over a number of federal agencies and issues that play a major role in the nation’s energy policy, including authority over the Department of Energy, nuclear power, the national power grid system, the Clean Air Act and other issues directly related to the coal industry. As chairman, Whitfield has been a leading advocate on behalf of the Kentucky coal industry, working to ensure coal is a leading component of our “all-of-the-above” approach to achieving North American energy independence.
“I am pleased that (Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred) Upton has once again called on me to serve as the chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee,” said Whitfield. “I believe we made great strides during the 112th Congress in reining in President Obama’s overreaching EPA, but we have more work to do. We will continue to pursue policies that help promote job creation, economic growth, and energy independence—policies that will continue to benefit Kentucky families. This administration is still trying to regulate coal out of existence and I refuse to stand idly by as these regulations destroy jobs and increase energy costs for consumers. We have once again developed an aggressive agenda that I hope we can pursue in a bipartisan manner.”
