Press Release

March 6, 2003

Contact: Janet Fout, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, 304-360-4201

Coal Gives Record Contributions to Sway Legislature, Governor

CHARLESTON, W.VA. - In an apparent attempt to bolster support for increasing the weight limits on coal trucks and move legislation that primarily benefits the coal industry, coal interests contributed over $400,000 to legislative candidates and Gov. Bob Wise during the 2002 election cycle. That total is a record amount of contributions from the industry, according to a report issued today by the West Virginia People's Election Reform Coalition (PERC-WV).

The PERC report is based on campaign finance reports candidates filed with the Secretary of State's office. PERC, a joint project of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) and the West Virginia Citizen Research Group (CRG), has compiled databases on every election cycle since 1996. Today's report compares campaign contributions from the 2000 and 2002 election cycles.

PERC's analysis found that coal contributions to legislative candidates have increased 41% since the 2000 election and that Governor Wise has already taken thousands of dollars from coal interests to help finance his re-election bid next year. Many contributions came while the legislature was debating legislation to increase weight limits for coal trucks.

Gov. Wise raised $73,500 at a March 18, 2002 fundraiser at the Charleston Marriott. Most of those contributions came from coal companies, coal hauling companies and land companies. Riverton Coal, a subsidiary of RAG American Coal, and RAG Coal International made the most contributions at the event. Twenty-two company executives, employees and spouses gave $20,500 to the Wise campaign.

Janet Fout, OVEC's co-director said, "After reviewing the PERC data on the coal industry, it's easy to see why Governor Wise has been so silent on the issue of mountaintop removal and has promoted coal truck legislation favoring the industry. Alarmingly now that he's governor, the coal industry is heaping money on him for his re-election bid in 2004, solidifying his support for their destructive policies that are destroying people's lives, mountains, headwater streams and communities."

Wise received a total of $62,250 from coal last year, all in the month of March. In the 2000 election, Wise received $115,600 from coal, and coal donated $120,340 to help fund his inaugural celebration.

In 2002, legislative candidates received $343,887 in coal industry contributions.

"The PERC report makes it all too clear why the Governor and so many legislators are ignoring the health and safety of coalfield residents. You can practically see the money flowing from the coal industry into politicians' pockets. No wonder people don't trust most legislators. It's far past time for campaign finance reform here in West Virginia," said Vivian Stockman, OVEC's communications coordinator.

PERC looked at three votes in the West Virginia Legislature during the past year, and found that candidates who received contributions from coal were more likely to support a weight increase. Last summer the House of Delegates emerged as the biggest challenge to passage of a weight limit increase. In its analysis PERC found that coal increased its contributions to House Judiciary Committee members from $22,365 to $48,495. On Wednesday the committee passed SB 583, an industry backed proposal to increase weight limits for coal trucks to 126,000 pounds. In 2002, coal also spent an additional $26,000 on delegates who voted for a weight increase during a special session last July.

"It's obscene how, during a time when our state is in financial crisis, the governor and many coal-supported legislators enact policies that benefit the coal industry at taxpayer expense. How many times in recent months have we heard about the billions of dollars it will cost to fix and maintain roads and bridges that overweight coal trucks have pummeled? Once again, the taxpayers will be left to pay the lion's share of the tab," Fout said.

Twelve contributors gave over $5,000 to legislative candidates. The West Virginia Coal Association gave a total of $38,800 to 91 candidates. Other major contributors to legislative candidates were: Progress Energy PAC $19,750, James "Buck" Harless $18,450, West Virginia Consolidated Coal PAC $12,400, Arch Coal PAC $11,250. AT Massey Coal PAC contributed $7,700 and RAG American PAC contributed $6,500.

For technical questions about the PERC data, call CRG's Julie Archer at 304-346-5891.

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