All across the country, governors from both sides of the aisle are addressing state legislators and residents reporting on their state’s goals, priorities and obstacles for 2012.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D-W.Va.) gave his State of the State earlier this year, where he touched on West Virginia’s energy policy. Tomblin made it clear that “coal is and always will be a part” of West Virginia’s future.  He also discussed plans for a $30 million clean coal technology plant to be run in West Virginia’s Kanawha County, which ultimately would create high tech manufacturing jobs for the residents of his state. Tomblin also expressed frustration at the federal government, saying that he will “continue to fight this administration’s war on coal.”

Tomblin wasn’t alone in speaking up for the coal industry, as Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell addressed the threat of EPA regulations on Virginians in his State of the Commonwealth address:

“We must continue to demand that the federal government stop the overreach and overregulation of our important job-creating coal and natural gas industries.”

As other states plan for their energy future, it’s important to remember that coal is America’s dominant energy source, and should be a factor for those states that rely on the reliable, affordable energy it provides.