A study of coal’s effects on Kentucky’s budget in 2006 found that it contributed $528m in revenue, but its on-budget costs—training, support, repairs to the roads, R&D for the coal industry—totalled $643m. A study in West Virginia in 2009 also found the coal industry a net cost to the state.
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1 February 2012
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12 April 2011
God-willing, and the creeks don’t rise
Flooding has been getting worse and worse in the last decade or so, and as more and more of the dense network of Southern Appalachia’s creeks and streams — that once absorbed excess rainflow — have been transformed into post- mountaintop removal hellscapes, people whose campaign coffers aren’t filled with coal and industry donations have started to question whether there’s a relationship between increasingly regular and destructive flooding and the kind of environmental devastation necessitated by MTR mining.
Gasland, Coaland… Noland? But it’s that or else we massively shift to public transportation and bicycles. The choice to destroy the land for all generations in order to continue certain conveniences for one generation has been made.
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31 January 2011
The text that the Democrats’ new energy committee appointee Joe Manchin has just fired a weapon through reads, “To create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy.”
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30 January 2011
“If elected to the Senate, Joe Manchin promised to literally shoot bills designed to address climate change, with a rifle.” — (Democrat) Manchin will sit on Senate energy committee, shoot at environmental bills
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27 January 2011
Clean coal? Jesus christ, way to make the whole “renewable” thing worthless. God, just quit.
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9 November 2010
So the GOP is trying to convince Manchin to switch parties, in exchange for lots of great stuff, like more free government money for coal.
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3 August 2010
Government subsidies just don’t pack the same punch as a market price on carbon pollution.
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18 May 2010
K-L continues the pretense that coal can be made “clean” through thermodynamically-challenged “carbon capture and sequestration” by throwing an additional $2 billion/yr on top of the $2.4 billion in the 2009 stimulus package.
