Rahall has shown position on mining

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a position regarding mountaintop removal coal mining. This is proven by the actions it has taken. Congressman Rahall appears to be buying into the rhetoric offered by the EPA about its willingness to work with the mining industry, but a wise person should be able to simply look at actions compared to words and determine intension.

Now is the time for action rather than words. The congressman should immediately offer legislation defining the role of the EPA in the permitting process to include a timeline for submitted permits to be reviewed and for specific detail from law to be cited and returned with any application not approved with suggested corrections that will allow permit approval.

The EPA isn't elected, but is representative of the elected president. Is it possible that Mr. Rahall's support for President Obama in the last election is related to his reluctance to define the role of Obama's EPA through legislation? From my viewpoint, the congressman's actions (or inaction, as it may be) are reflective of his true position.

Marty Gearheart

Bluefield, W.Va.

Exxon, Citibank only care about the money

I recently received a letter from Citibank that stated, "Due to this challenging business and economic climate, the cost of doing business has dramatically increased. As a result, we are increasing the annual percentage rate for your Exxon Mobil credit card to 24.99%."

Well, Citibank and Exxon Mobil are right. This is a challenging economic climate and the cost of living has also dramatically increase -- primarily due to gas prices. And this is a time when many Americans are out of work and those of us who do have jobs aren't likely to see an increase in pay.

Last year, Exxon Mobil made history by recording the highest quarterly profit ever for a U.S. company of $11.7 billion and the highest annual profit ever for a U.S. company of $40.6 billion. And even with those history-making profits, Citibank and Exxon Mobil have the nerve to increase interest rates on Exxon Mobil credit cards!

The Citibank letter goes on to say that they value us as customers. Well, I don't think they value me or anyone else as a customer. What they value is money, and frankly, like most Americans, I'm fed up with corporate greed.

So, I opted not to accept these changes, and now Citibank is going to cancel my little plastic card immediately. I also decided to never purchase Exxon Mobil gasoline again. Granted, I won't make a dent in its $40 billion profit margin, but it's a matter of principle to stand up for the right thing. And doing the right thing is something Citibank and Exxon Mobil don't seem to honor any more.

Mark Kessinger

Huntington

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