Dozens of coal miners, their families and coal supporters gathered outside of the Belmont County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon to make it known that they believe coal is the best energy source for the Ohio Valley.


The supporters call coal affordable and reliable.


"It's produced right here in our state and in our country. We need this affordability and reliability to keep the electric bill down in our households as well as controlling costs for our businesses," said Republican state Senate candidate Shane Thompson.


With the latest Environmental Protection Agency regulations on the industry, many feel like the current administration is singling the coal industry out, waging what they call a war against the industry.


"We can't sacrifice coal on an altar of environmentalism. We need to realize how vitally important they are to our community," Rep. Andy Thomson, Republican for the Ohio 93rd district, said.


"I'm all for a good, clean United States, there is no doubt about that. But they are going at it against coal. It's a war on coal. That's all it is," coal miner Leon Lieser said.


State treasurer Josh Mandel claims it isn't an issue about political parties. He said it is an economic issue.


"I believe in Ohio, coal equals jobs. And we are going to do everything we can to fight Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown, who have waged a war on these coal jobs in the state of Ohio," said Mandel.


Brown's office released a statement Tuesday saying, "Josh Mandel has a well deserved reputation across Ohio for distorting the facts and peddling previous debunked falsehoods and if he was truly concerned about Ohio jobs he would've supported the auto rescue [...] and not stood shoulder to shoulder with Gov. Kasich's mean spirited attack on public workers."