For decades, local officials have tried to block natural gas pipelines from crossing Pennsylvania and passed ordinances requiring public buildings to use anthracite, but the recent debate has raised a thorny question about how much is too much to pay to protect local industry and history.

What about their "free" market, the "genius" of the market?

Even if the price is not better, Mr. Rhoades[Republican state senator] said, an anthracite company should get the county contract if it is close to competitive, to ensure that the jobs, taxes and heritage stay in the county. He declined, however, to set a number on how "close" the anthracite bid should be.

Wow, that's enlightened coming from a free marketeer. How come they're not so broad-minded about values where it comes to MTR?

Black lung benifits for miners was abused early on. A windfall for mountain lawyers and people got checks or copensation for black lung who did not really deserve it. Of course they went to the extreme when trying to fix they system, now it is almost impossible to get compensation for black lung.

As more and more miners are forced underground by the new demand for coal, black lung will be a problem in the coal industry again. Most coal now is mined by stripping including MTR.

I don't know if any of this is relevant but my father had black lung before he was killed in a cave in. They get off cheap when you get killed by some other means before you file for your black lung. My mother did not get to draw anything even though he had third stage black lung. 37 years in the mines on face equipment, he had to have it.

For the men who work underground black lung is nothing to make light of. It is just another dark side of the coal industry and along with Mountain Top Removal and Co2 emmissions.

Clean coal, there is no such thing!

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.