Coal Mining    A horrific and tragic disaster occurred in the mining town of Montcoal, WV and we wonder if the town and their families will ever recover from the loss of 29 of their citizens.  These men were husbands, fathers, brothers, grandfathers, friends and co-workers of the people who live here.  Our heart aches for them and their incredible loss. 

Below are slightly differing points of view on this:

Judi's opinion: Reduce/stop our dependence on coal

But somehow, I can't shake the feeling that I am somewhat to blame for this disaster.   What's more I contend that we all are partially responsible for this.

The reason I believe this is that our country is still highly dependant on coal to power our electricity power plants; to keep the lights on; run the air conditioner; to power our electronics and we are not doing enough to persuade our local, state and federal government leaders to move quickly to renewable energy sources. 

Our continued dependence on coal forces thousands of men, old and young, into this dreadful profession, forces them to go, sometimes, miles deep into unsafe, dirty, dusty, coal mines.  How can we STILL be so dependent on a filthy 19th century fossil fuel now that we know how destructive it is to our environment and the lives of men who work in the mines?!  Do we have the right to expect people to work in such dangerous conditions?  No one should  die so we can keep our lights on. 

The very act of mining is an environmental disaster as well.  Surface mining strips off the rich topsoil, releasing toxic gases such as methane, one of the most toxic greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere and allows heavy metals such as mercury and lead to leach out of the ground, eventually running into nearby rivers and estuaries and into the ocean.  It also produces coal dust which settles on everything and everyone living nearby.

And we have now seen first hand how dangerous underground mining is.  Not only does it have all the ruinous elements of surface mining (they have to dig out the earth and put it somewhere), but it also puts many lives at risk;  not only to those who work in the mines but also to those who live in the area, who breathe in the gases and dust and sometimes get sick and die.

As we have frequently seen in our capitalistic society the primary interests of mining companies are the bottom line, costs, profits, dividends to the shareholders and bonuses for the CEOs and management.  That's CAPITALISM! The concern of safety for the men who work in the mines is secondary, which is why we learned that the company was fined for more than 122 safety violations.  It appears it was cheaper to continue to pay fines than it was to provide a safe working environment for these men.  (Somehow I cannot stop seeing parallels between this and the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay area.)

Now many will say that we did not force these men to go into mines; but in many areas that is the only option available to the people living there.  Coal mining has always been done and the state has become dependant on the revenues generated from that industry.  Sounds a bit like Alaska, doesn't it.  Leadership is needed in these states to turn the economy away from coal and attract new types of development in the state.  Should we stop using coal to power our electric plants?  Yes.  Should we put these men out of work?  No.  What we need to do is move as fast as we can to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal.  One option would be to re-train people in these new technologies and provide incentives for renewable energy manufacturing and research companies to move into coal states and provide jobs for the people there.  Those who are close to retirement and do not want to start a new career, will be allowed to retire at full retirement pay.

In the meantime we can all do our part to conserve electricity so that we use less fossil fuels and reduce our personal dependence on these destructive elements. If our governments won't act to move us to renewable energy, then we must do more individually; else we will continue to bear some personal responsibility in future deaths.

Bob's opinion:  Make coal mining safer - put the safety of the miner's first

But as consumers, I and the reader, are partly to blame for this disaster.  We all want electricity, and not only that, we want it CHEAP! This forces suppliers to cut or postpone costs, delay repairs and inspections, lobby for lax regulations and then do only the minimum required, trade off safety improvements against the fines for non-compliance - the list goes on.  Right here in our back yard managers of our power co-op reluctantly decided to abandon plans to revive an obsolete coal plant - reluctant because they feel their mission is to provide power cheaply, with social costs a distant consideration.  Why is coal so cheap?

• It is abundant in the US.
• It generally comes from states with low incomes.
• We are not paying for the emitted CO2 which is causing climate change - we are passing that on the future generations.
• We are not paying for pollution like mercury - we are passing that on the current and future generations.
• We are not paying for proper safety precautions - it is cheaper to stall and pay fines so that's what suppliers do.

Until we as citizens and consumers demand that our power systems, including resource extraction, be as safe as we can get them - and step up to pay the costs so that our neighbors in other states and other countries can live as safely as we do, WE will continue to be responsible for the deaths of fellow citizens like those in West Virginia.