California & Washington State Are Hurting Montana

Western Republican lawmakers and industry executives are saying Washington state is blocking fossil fuel projects and it's unfair. Washington state may be dictating winners and losers among American companies trying to export to Asia.

During a Thursday conference Republican Sen. Steve Daines, and other officials singled out Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, for allegedly blocking increased coal exports from Wyoming and Montana, the top U.S. coal producing region.

Executives from BNSF Railway, and the mining company Lighthouse Resources, also criticized Washington state for obstruction.

Coal mining in America has been hurting over the past decade. Companies seeking to sell to Asian markets are frustrated by the cancellation or blockage of proposed coal export terminals on the West Coast.