The three Republican candidates for Governor of Kentucky have shown varying degrees of support for the coal mining technique commonly called mountaintop removal.

Businessman Phil Moffett calls the procedure ‘mountaintop development,’ and says it creates flat land that can be used for commercial purposes. State Senate President David Williams says he will stand up to federal environmental regulators who may attempt to restrict mountaintop removal. And Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw says she would appoint a commission to look at the future of coal.

Moffett, Williams and Holsclaw made their comments to the Associated Press.