Our views: ; Clean air; Before stopping the economy,; let's do a cost-benefit analysis

TO appease people in the northeast who will not give up their oilfurnaces or their sport utility vehicles, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency is blaming West Virginia and the Midwest for thesmoggy streets of New York and New England. The federal agencywants West Virginia to sacrifice 11,000 jobs so people in the Eastcan continue their conspicuous consumption.

The environmental agency commanded West Virginia, the second-poorest state, to cut its emissions by 51 percent in the nextdecade. Connecticut, the richest state, was spared any cuts inemissions.

That may please SUV dealers, but it ties another lead weight tothe ankles of West Virginia's ever-struggling …