[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 165 (Thursday, November 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM ``BILL'' BISSETT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a man who has 
been a great advocate for the people of Kentucky and a man I am proud 
to call a friend. Mr. William ``Bill'' Bissett, who served for more 
than 6 years as the president of the Kentucky Coal Association, KCA, 
helped lead the effort in Kentucky to spread awareness regarding the 
devastation the coal industry has seen over the past several years--
devastation wrought in many cases by wrongheaded government regulations 
and daunting challenges within the energy market.
  Unfortunately for Kentucky, Bill recently left his position with the 
KCA, and starting November 1, he moved on to take his talents to the 
Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce as its new president and CEO. 
Bill's departure is a great loss for the Commonwealth, and although he 
will certainly be missed, I wish him all the best in his new position.
  As the people of Kentucky well know, the coal industry has not only 
supported and sustained life in the Bluegrass State for generations, it 
has also powered this Nation's rise through the industrial revolution 
and through times of war to become the greatest country in the world.
  Coal is forever intertwined with the history of Kentucky and the 
Nation, but recently, coal has been under attack. For the last 8 years, 
the current administration has waged a war on coal and a war on coal 
jobs. They would have us believe it is immoral to use coal, and they 
have pursued regulations that aim to close coal mines and shut down 
coal-fired power plants that exist in Kentucky and prevent new ones 
from being built.
  Even in the face of this hostile environment, in 2010, Bill Bissett 
took on a difficult job that many would have shrank from and became the 
president of the KCA. Since then, he has been on the front lines 
fighting against government overregulation and overreach. And I have 
been proud to stand alongside Bill to defend Kentucky's coal workers 
and their families against an administration dead set on waging a war 
on coal, a war which has contributed to the closure of mines and an 
increase in unemployment.
  Bill and I worked together in taking Kentucky's case for coal and for 
coal jobs to the EPA. When the EPA first held hearings on the set of 
regulations that would become the so-called Clean Power Plan--
regulations that threaten to close down power plants in Kentucky and 
reduce jobs--Bill and I worked together in calling for them to hold 
listening sessions in Kentucky so EPA could hear from the people who 
would be most affected by its new rules.
  When the EPA refused to come to Kentucky and only held hearings in 
States with little reliance on coal like California and Massachusetts, 
Bill and the KCA joined me in making sure our voices were heard. We 
convened our own hearings in Pikeville, where coal miners and 
Kentuckians with jobs reliant on the coal industry spoke about how 
EPA's proposed regulations would impact them. We also took our case 
directly to the EPA in Washington, DC, when it conducted one of its 
listening sessions on the so-called Clean Power Plan, which threatens 
to cut more coal jobs in Kentucky and increase electricity prices in 
the State by double digits.
  These are just a few highlights of Bill's tenure with KCA. Before 
coming to KCA, Bill worked as chief of staff/senior vice president for 
communications at Marshall University, his alma mater. Prior to that he 
served as vice president of public relations for Charles Ryan 
Associate, CRA, an integrated marketing firm. During his time at CRA, 
he was instrumental in the establishment of the Friends of Coal 
campaign. Bill and his wife, Lara, are devoted parents to two 
daughters, Molly and Maggie.
  From the beginning of his tenure at KCA to the very end, Bill Bissett 
worked with great energy and enthusiasm on behalf of Kentuckians who 
work in the coal industry. He was a great advocate for coal miners. 
Kentucky's loss is truly Huntington's gain, and I wish Bill well in his 
future endeavors with the regional chamber of commerce and beyond. On 
behalf of the thousands of Kentuckians touched by Bill's work, I want 
to thank him for his service to the Bluegrass State and his advocacy to 
preserve our history and heritage. He is always welcome back in 
Kentucky, where he has many friends.

                          ____________________