The week in Coal - 12/27/09

great update (0.00 / 0)

Thanks for putting this together.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 14:59:10 PM UTC

Gotta love the mining pawns (0.00 / 0)

Refer to this letter in the Beckley Register-Herald:

"Stand up for coal or leave the state"

http://www.register-herald.com...

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by: WV26003 @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 17:30:57 PM UTC

Hmmmm. (4.00 / 1)

I think all kids living in West Virginia should learn about how West Virginia has made its living and supported its families. Coal is the history of West Virginia.

This is our history and we as true West Virginians should be very proud of it.

I agree with her there. I think every West Virginian should know a lot more about folks like Mother Jones and Sid Hatfield.

There will be no West Virginia if coal leaves. It will be a desolate place that is a burden on the government just to keep people that are left fed.

Well, that's hard to believe since there are more people unemployed in the state than there are people employed in coal mines... but, I can understand where her fears are coming from.

Still, I wonder if Lori Bennett has plans for her grandkids when West Virginia runs out of the non-renewable resource of coal. As Rep. Rahall said, the best coal seams will be gone within 20 years. Then, what?

There's no easy way forward. We're screwed with coal and we're screwed without it. Yelling at each other ain't going to help none.

The sooner we start making plans for a tomorrow that looks a little bit different than today, the better off we all are.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 18:20:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The claim that coal was the foundation (4.00 / 2)

If that was the case, why doesn't the author list the number of active coal mines in West Virginia in 1863. I can find nothing in the Wheeling Conventions citing coal mining as the foundation of our State.

For years, the coal barons have trodded and stomped upon the people of our State, and the author of that letter is just another pawn in their game. It sickens me.

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by: WV26003 @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 18:32:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Eastern Panhandle delegate is perplexed by Sen. Byrd's recent commentary on coal (4.00 / 1)

Little Johnny is taking on Big Daddy's call to dial down the rhetoric and equates the support for coal as emulating Byrd. Probably more important to the budding teabagger is to be seen as not bending to the Obama Administration. How could he be so suprised in the change in the EPA compared to the Cheney Administration's attitude that mecury was not 'hazardous'n  

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 18:54:37 PM UTC

loose grasp of economics (4.00 / 1)

Woah... Mr. Miller is saying: if there's no new surface mines nothing could ever possibly step in to take it's place.

Maybe Jonathan Miller could ask his coal mining buddies for an honest accounting of how many of those tons of coal could be mined by other methods... something tells me that it's not the 1 for 1 loss he's claiming.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 19:59:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Fortunately help is on the way.... (4.00 / 3)

in the form of a democratic challenger Robert Mills, who will announce his candidacy for Miller's seat tommorrow in Inwood at the primary school (elementary??) at 10am.

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by: JBdem4usa @ Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 21:00:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]