The Democrat wants to invest in new technologies, protect coal from unfair overseas trade practices and block environmental regulators from going beyond what's required by law for coal plants.

Rockefeller says he hasn't seen federal legislation yet that achieves these goals.

This year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would cut carbon dioxide emissions, particularly from coal-fired power plants.

Although he didn't refer to that bill specifically in his statement, Rockefeller's office said Sunday none of the bills in the House or Senate so far meet his criteria for support.

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