PUBLIC FORUM If you want to add your comments to this forum, email your short comments about what coal means to you to tlheadley@genesisgroupbc.com. "Without the coal industry we might as well shut off the lights and leave West Virginia," Jeff Headley, Ferrellsburg, WV "My youngest son is a Senior at WVU majoring in Mining Engineering, through him we see the future of coal. We come from a line of miners. His grandfather (my father-in-law) was a miner. On my side he has three uncles from Western Kentucky that have retired from mining. Zach has always expressed an interest in mining so therefore my husband and I do!" - Cathy Coldabella, Mingo Junction, Ohio “I work for a reputable mining engineering consultant in the Charleston, WV area. Without the mining of coal I would be working somewhere that probably didn't pay quite as well and my family and I wouldn't have the life that we are afforded now. My grandfather, my uncle, and my brothers-in-laws all made and make a living because of the coal industry here in West Virginia. The industry is a very hard working and dedicated industry with people who make it that way. The coal industry keeps the electricity on and the offspring jobs because of coal mining are extremely valuable tothe are I live in. Without coal, life would take a drastic downturn and so would West Virginia,” - Darrin Reese, Seth, WV “No source of energy is without impacts to the environment. (see the rash of environmental lawsuits against solar facilities in California) Among all the energy choices available, coal is: reliable; sufficiently abundant; can be mined relatively safely, efficiently and inexpensively; and is responsible for more than 50% of our energy in the US. “Hourly-paid coal miners make between $50,000-$85,000 annually depending on their skills and overtime. Engineers, supervisors, managers, sales and accounting folks are also very well paid. This puts coal miners squarely in the middle class. These jobs come with excellent health insurance plans, plus some form of retirement savings. As a result, coal mining is one of those rare jobs in America that our economy needs to help pay taxes and maintain our American standard of living. “In addition, for every mining job there are between 4 and 7 other people who owe their livelihood to the coal industry; from local car dealers to regulators in government to lawyers and doctors and their staff, who call these miners their clients and patients. “It is SO frustrating to watch well-intentioned people in cities that consume mass quantities of electricity decry the use of coal, while turning on their TV set, powering up a computer, charging a cell phone or turning on the heat or AC. They listen to media folks who ramble on about climate change, ignoring that climate change is as constant as night following day and has been since dinosaurs roamed the earth. These city dwellers are no more prepared to be without coal then they are to be without TV's, cell phones and computers. More frustrating is listening to celebrities who use their limelight to speak out against coal between cross -country and cross-ocean plane flights, living lives of excess or sporting designer fashions made oversees. “This is why the education mission of Friends of Coal is SO important to those of us who live around coal mining. We know that coal fuels electricity generation more reliably than most energy sources. It also fuels the economy for a large section of America. Our voices will not be heard until they reach the ears of those well-intentioned city dwellers who only know that electricity comes from turning on a power switch. Friends of Coal gives this West Virginian an opportunity to be heard beyond the borders of our state,” - Anna Dailey, Charleston, WV. "I am a fourth generation coal miner and proud of it," H. Dingess, Logan, WV Send us your comments via our Contact Us tool. Keep them short and pithy and we will include them in this space. |