West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Virginia Senator Mark Warner both spoke at the event that focused on discovering viable and sustainable options for coal, which is projected to remain the US' most reliable and affordable domestic energy source for the next few decades.
They were joined by senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.
"The facts are there's more coal being used in the world today than ever and forecasts are even for more," Manchin said.
"If we're going to do it, let's do it better.”
In addition to presentations from different senators, leading experts, industry, academia and environmental groups presented information on current and future technology options for coal-based power.
Those technologies included energy-efficient approaches, carbon capture and storage and coal's place in the future energy mix.
“We have a moral obligation to our people, to keep our country safe but also to keep our economy strong,” Manchin said.
