BLUEFIELD — For the past several years, U.S. Rep. Frederick C. “Rick” Boucher, D-Va., has made the rounds to the newspapers of his 9th Congressional district visiting with reporters and discussing the things he accomplished in the previous year, and looking ahead to the things he hoped to accomplish in the year ahead.

Up until two years ago, Boucher, 63, of Abingdon, Va., has enjoyed a rather comfortable lock on re-election to the seat he has held in the House of Representatives since 1982. That’s not to say that he has ever taken his office for granted. The late C. Jefferson Stafford, a Republican from Pearisburg, Va., mounted a real challenge against Boucher in the mid-1980s, but with a strong Democratic base in the so-called, “Fighting Ninth” district, Boucher has dispatched all challengers — most times hauling in 70 percent or more of the vote.

But things changed two years ago. The traditionally receptive coalfield audiences that had welcomed Boucher for more than a quarter of a century, snarled a bit when he embraced the candidacy of (now) President Barack Obama. The chorus of snarlers got louder when Boucher voiced his support and voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act on June 26, 2009. The traditional Congressional coalfield coalition voted against the bill, but Boucher voted yea. After all, he crafted portions of the bill that would give coal-fired utilities time to get into compliance with tougher clean air standards as well as time for new technologies to be perfected like carbon sequestration.

The words and the rationale have always been there, but critics of Boucher’s relationship with the Obama administration have exploited the breach in Boucher’s long-standing familiarity with the people of his district. It doesn’t matter that Boucher broke the lock-step perception and voted against the national health care bill.

“I voted against the health care because of the effect it would have had on my district,” Boucher said during his annual visit. His visits usually come in the week after Christmas and before the new Congress is seated, but this has been an unusual year ... extraordinary, by some standards.

“It was a vote against the political parties,” he said of his health care vote. “My comment is that not-for-profit hospitals in rural areas would be harmed. The hospital administrators that I spoke with from my district were unanimous in their opposition. That was my primary objection. They are trying to break even.

“The bill that I saw was filled with several unsavory deals made in the Senate to gain support from their colleagues,” Boucher said. “Those deals must be removed. There is also a health care disparity between urban hospitals and hospitals that serve rural areas. I saw no factual basis for the thinking that urban hospitals need more funds than rural hospitals.”

Boucher addressed some of the concerns raised by his climate change vote in an editorial board session that preceded his annual interview. He said that he got $10 billion allocated in the bill for carbon capture research and said the Electric Power Research Institute has a 2020 “target date,” for making that technology work. He also said he was able to get another $150 billion in development funds to get electric utilities in compliance. “We know that restraints are coming.”

Boucher mentioned the $4 million Department of Energy carbon sequestration test now underway in Russell County, and said the next round of federal funds will be to store 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide. “The federal contribution will be $60 million,” Boucher said. “I’ve been talking with the DOE about having that test here in Southwest Virginia.”

During his annual interview, Boucher declined to specifically discuss the up-coming mid-term elections, but he spoke philosophically about trends in American politics, including a trend that suggests that if the president is a member of the party in the majority in congress, that party could lose some seats in congress during the mid-term elections.

Most years, Boucher has talked about accomplishments for the district, but this year, he talked about national issues. He said that during a recession, government will try to stimulate the economy, but at the same time, tax revenues slow down because citizens are being cautious about their expenses. He said the federal government “is being hit from both directions.”

Boucher pointed out that on day one of the Obama administration, “we had a $1 trillion debt.” He said that that he, as well as others in congress, supports a thorough look at all areas of federal spending. He recommended that congress establish a commission — something similar to the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission — to examine the fiscal situation and make a non-partisan recommendation.

“This is the kind of approach congress has taken in the past,” Boucher said. “I’m in favor of establishing a commission like the BRAC commission to address this issue.”

Although the present situation seems bleak, Boucher expressed optimism that there will be opportunities in 2010 to continue his on-going efforts to bring clean drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities into the district like the Baptist Valley sewer project that recently received a $4 million boost.

In addition to those basic infrastructure needs, Boucher said that he is still working on bringing wireless communications into the 9th District. He said that getting broadband into Hurley, Va., was a major step, and added that Tannersville, Va., should have wireless capabilities later this year.

A program that he initiated 20 years ago, Showcasing Southwest Virginia, continues to bear fruit, he said. “We are now focusing on bringing a data center into the region,” he said. “Tazewell County has been on the list.” Boucher said he is impressed by the kind of technical support available at the Bluestone Technology Park.

Boucher said that efforts to establish a veterans’ cemetery in Southwest Virginia are also coming together. He said the cemetery near Dublin, Va., has been under construction and the $7.2 million cemetery should be ready in the fall. He said any veterans who would like more information can contact any of his field offices.

Boucher recognized that the technological transformation is well underway and that he plans to work to keep his district in step with technology. “These efforts are working,” he said.

In order to address some of the concerns expressed by citizens in recent months, Boucher has scheduled a public town meeting for Monday, Feb. 22, at 9:30 a.m., in the Southwest Virginia Community College gymnasium to discuss energy and environmental issues of interest to the coal industry. Jim McGlothlin and Bob Blue will be joining Boucher as speakers on the issue.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com