In January, Democratic Senator Harry Reid will retire from being the Majority Leader – with Republican Mitch McConnell as his replacement.

McConnell is a consummate Washington insider. After graduating from the University of Louisville in 1964, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to become an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper. Later, he worked for both the U.S. Senate as a staff member and was also a member of the Gerald Ford administration.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984, and has served in the Senate for over 30 years.

The longevity of his career makes him an expert on how the U.S. Senate works… And according to him, his first duty of business is to restore Kentucky coal to the top of America's energy mountain.

But will he win the fight, and how else will he use his newfound power?

Righting the EPA's Defunct Policy

Since taking office, Barack Obama has waged an unceasing war on coal. His U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has been attempting to use the regulatory power it has to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30%.

But to achieve these goals, they're forcing the closure of coal power plants nationwide.

McConnell calls this policy “a true outrage.”

But he didn't stop there. He told The Courier-Journal, “So [Obama] has a war on coal – and, honestly, I'm going to go to war with him over coal.” He concluded his interview by saying that the U.S. Senate under his leadership would attempt to stop the administration “in any way that we can.”

The Obama administration hasn't taken the threat lightly. Head of the EPA Gina McCarthy has been fighting back. She recently defended herself and her agency, saying, “I feel very confident that the American people understand the value of the EPA.”

Meanwhile, McConnell hasn't hesitated to shoot back. He recently told The Associated Press, “Look, my first obligation is to protect my people, who are hurting as the result of what this administration is doing.”