00:00With us today is Kayla Blackford, who drives a haul truck at Bear Run Mine in Duggar, Indiana.
00:08Great state.
00:08We love Indiana.
00:10I only like states that are one so big, you know.
00:12I want it big.
00:14No.
00:14No, I like them all.
00:15Where she has worked for five years.
00:18And she's joined by her wonderful husband, Eric, who also works at the mine.
00:23And their really incredible son, Isaac.
00:26And Kayla, if you could come forward, I'd like to just have you say a few words, please.
00:32Come on up.
00:33Where's Kayla?
00:34Kayla?
00:35Oh, hi, Kayla.
00:45Thank you, Mr. President.
00:47As he said, my name is Kayla Blackford, and I am so proud and honored to be here today
00:52representing Peabody and coal miners across this country.
00:55My husband and I both work at Bear Run Mine in southern Indiana.
00:59I drive a haul truck, and I train others on this large piece of equipment.
01:03A haul truck is used to move rock or coal and is capable of carrying loads of nearly 250 tons.
01:11The tires are 12 feet tall.
01:12When I stand next to one, I barely reach the middle of the tire.
01:16It's the best job I've ever had, and not just because of the cool mom points I get for driving
01:22big equipment.
01:23My job supports my family.
01:25It supports our community, and it keeps the lights on and electricity affordable, not just in Indiana, but across the
01:32country.
01:32As demand increases and our lives become increasingly electrified, America needs to generate more electricity, not less.
01:41For years, coal miners have felt the weight of policies that made our future uncertain.
01:45Over the past year, that weight has begun to lift.
01:49My son, Isaac, who is here today, has friends whose parents also work at Bear Run.
02:03And when you grow up seeing huge mining equipment from the road, like Isaac and his friends do, you dream
02:09about the day when you get to run that equipment.
02:12When a mine closes, families don't just lose their jobs.
02:15They're often forced to leave their communities, their schools, and their support systems behind.
02:21The common sense policies to keep coal plants running implemented by this administration mean that my husband and I can
02:27keep working, stay where we are, and continue raising our son in our community that we call home.
02:33And the impact is even greater than that because you, Mr. President, have single-handedly kept utility prices affordable, the
02:40lights on, and our jobs alive.
02:43We are real people under these hard hats.
02:46On behalf of America's coal miners, thank you, Mr. President, for recognizing the value of coal and the value of
02:52the people who power this industry every day.
02:55Thank you so much.
02:58So much to meet you.
02:59Thank you very much for all of your time.
03:03All right, I'll take that one.
03:04Thank you very much.
03:07Thank you very much.
03:09Thank you very much.
03:11Thank you very much.
03:15Colombia.
03:16She did a good job, right?
03:17Look at the boy.
03:18He's so proud of mom, huh?
03:20Did a good job?
03:21Couldn't do better, right?
03:23Thank you very much.
03:26Colas.
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