Polish coal miners protest EU methane reduction regulations

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish coal miners angered by a European Union directive to reduce methane emissions have protested noisily in front of the EU office in Warsaw, saying it will deprive them of their jobs. The protesters from the Solidarity 80 union said recent climate recommendations for the 27-member EU that call for a significant reduction of methane within years would force most of Poland’s mines to close, with the loss of thousands of jobs. Most of the nation’s mines have a high presence of methane gas that is released in the coal extraction process. Located in the southern Silesia region, the coal mines are among Poland’s major employers, offering some 77,000 jobs in the nation of 38 million.