October 2, 2004

West Virginia - both Bush and Kerry push clean coal technology

... [B]oth campaigns [Bush and Kerry] have guaranteed money for clean coal technology to residents of West Virginia ... [S]tate Delegate Mike Caputo, a Democrat from Marion County, says coal is the issue that can turn the race around for Kerry. The Bush administration has budgeted $447 million for clean coal technology this year and proposes spending $2 billion on it over the next decade. Kerry has proposed investing $10 billion over 10 years to develop clean-burning alternatives for coal-fired plants.

As the state's political action coordinator for the United Mine Workers of America, Caputo recalls how West Virginia voters reacted to Gore's campaign, choosing Bush by a surprising 6 percentage points. Bush was just the fourth Republican, and the first who wasn't an incumbent president, to win West Virginia since 1932. "Al Gore did not talk about coal enough in West Virginia," Caputo said of the environmentally friendly candidate. "Coal is a big concern to all West Virginians, regardless of what you do for a living."

[Source: Malia Rulon (AP writer), "Bush, Kerry hitting on local issues in swing states", October 2, 2004 12:59 pm ET]

February 18, 2004

* West Virginia - small metal object in trash caused alarm at landfill (Parkersburg)

July 25, 2003