By Matt Hurley | Special to Ohio Watchdog

Why does Sherrod Brown hate Ohio?

Matt Hurley

Once again, the Democrat senator has voted against a critical sector of Ohio’s economy risking jobs for constituents merely to appease his political masters in Washington, D.C.

The joint resolution, sponsored by U.S. Jim Inhofe, R-OK, would have struck down the regulation set up by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that controls emissions standards for steam generating units is just the latest in energy-related legislation that Brown has sided against his constituents in Ohio. At risk, over a nine year period, are 1.4 million jobs nationally with 53,500 of those hitting Ohio’s economy.

Reaction to Brown’s betrayal has been swift and harsh.

“Once again Sherrod Brown has put politics ahead of Ohioans,” said Ohio Republican Party spokeswoman Izzy Santa in a release. ”His continued support for the Obama administration’s war on coal will destroy thousands of jobs and hurt families and businesses by continuing to drive up energy prices.”

Even the often unreliable U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, gets this one right.

“The EPA doesn’t seem. to understand the impact of its regulation on grid reliability and economic growth.  Sadly, we can now say the same thing about the U.S. Senate.  This regulation will cause Ohio power plants to shut down and could cause thousands of Ohioans to lose their jobs, and millions more see a big increase in their electricity rates. To get the economy moving again, Washington needs to rein in government overreach and regulations that are creating uncertainty and stifling innovation.”

The toughest language comes from his Republican opponent, state Treasurer Josh Mandel:

“Thirty-eight year politician Sherrod Brown’s vote to uphold the expensive Utility MACT regulation is a perfect example of how he has lost touch with the people he represents. Brown is fond of saying that choosing between jobs and environmental policy is a false choice, but today he used his vote on the Senate floor to make his choice clear by opposing coal jobs and coal-fired electricity plants. When it came down to it, Sherrod Brown did not have the courage to stand up to Barack Obama and radical environmentalists in order to protect jobs in Ohio’s coal industry. Ohio families should be concerned about the effect Sherrod Brown’s vote will have on energy prices and the reliability of our power supply.

“Sherrod Brown’s vote not only means higher electricity bills for families and businesses, it threatens the jobs of our fellow Ohioans that work in or around the coal industry. I have been in the mines and have stood shoulder to shoulder with the very coal miners that Sherrod Brown’s vote threatens to impact, and I will continue to do everything possible to protect their jobs, which begins with voters firing Sherrod Brown and changing Washington by changing the people we send there.”

No matter what Brown says, his record tells you all you need to know. Sherrod Brown stands with Obama against Ohio and its coal industry jobs.

More than 20 times in his career, Brown has taken the wrong position on energy legislation that would benefit Ohio’s energy sector. If Brown fails to understand that Ohio jobs are important, maybe it is time to send him back home.