<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Coal is the enemy of West Virginia]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Zephaniah http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:28:33 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/1 Tax us to subsidize the coal industry?  May as well make us dig our own graves.

]]> Tax us to subsidize the coal industry?  May as well make us dig our own graves.

]]> Comment #2 by Baby Boomer http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/ Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:22:56 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/2 West Virginians deserve better and so do Pennsylvanians.  Maybe our President will wake up and quit siding with the money guys.

]]> West Virginians deserve better and so do Pennsylvanians.  Maybe our President will wake up and quit siding with the money guys.

]]> Comment #3 by Clifford Wells http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/ Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:50:14 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-22-coal-enemy-of-west-virginia/3 It is rather obvious that if the coal mines stopped or were stopped, less people would be exposed to Black Lung and other coal-related maladies.  But much of West Virginia is a rather poor state, and the economy would be devastated by the loss of jobs and revenue.  Trust me, the locals down't want to work in those hell-holes, breathe the nasty air, or be exposed to chemicals in the water.  But they do need a paycheck.  It's rather like the chicken-and-the-egg situation. 

By the way, West Virginia has always been a rather diversified economy, and tourism, farming, timber, and high tech companies are already large parts of the economy.  There for a while it was known as a really good glass-making area.  I suppose some more investment in clean power would be a great idea.  How to effectuate that seems a little cumbersome, however. 

The part that bothers me, and the same holds for other regions in the eastern coal belt, is that remediating all those coal mines and blasted mountain tops could end up being a 100 year project.  That job doesn't pay money, unless you can sue the coal companies.  It's a rather depressing subject.

]]> It is rather obvious that if the coal mines stopped or were stopped, less people would be exposed to Black Lung and other coal-related maladies.  But much of West Virginia is a rather poor state, and the economy would be devastated by the loss of jobs and revenue.  Trust me, the locals down't want to work in those hell-holes, breathe the nasty air, or be exposed to chemicals in the water.  But they do need a paycheck.  It's rather like the chicken-and-the-egg situation. 

By the way, West Virginia has always been a rather diversified economy, and tourism, farming, timber, and high tech companies are already large parts of the economy.  There for a while it was known as a really good glass-making area.  I suppose some more investment in clean power would be a great idea.  How to effectuate that seems a little cumbersome, however. 

The part that bothers me, and the same holds for other regions in the eastern coal belt, is that remediating all those coal mines and blasted mountain tops could end up being a 100 year project.  That job doesn't pay money, unless you can sue the coal companies.  It's a rather depressing subject.

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