Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Gas Oil Party is in charge. There is no hope for the coal areas of our country. They need new investment and a better education to get ahead. That new investment will not be in the coal fields.
Exactly, just watch Matewan. A movie about the company town of Matewan, West Virginia. Back before miners were unionized. The mining company resorted to some very criminal acts including homicide to stop the miners from unionizing, finally resulting in a full on battle between the mercenaries the mining company hired and the citizens of the town
While natural gas burns cleaner than some other fuels, the problem is that some Americans vocally and physically oppose the building of pipelines across the US. But in relation to coal, there are technologies that allow of it to burn cleaner. Some cleaner-burning power plans are being built, but these are more feasible in places where coal is abundant. One of such plants was built in Texas recently, and very small one is being built in Fairbanks, Alaska.
So-called "clean coal" is anything but when you dig beneath the surface. The mining is still generally destructive strip mining. Still poisoning water and still destroying mountain ecosystems. the scrubbers in the plants require various materials which are likewise strip mined. Graymont was able to get mineral rights to 10,000 acres of state and national forest land in Michigan to strip mine for limestone for coal plant scrubbers. There's nothing clean about that or coal in general. We can almost entirely eliminate the use of coal and we should.
Natural gas is not what I would call clean energy because of fracking. However, while it does pose threats to water in extraction it doesn't continue to severely pollute afterwards as coal does nor does a leaking gas pipeline threaten water and soil like an oil pipeline. I would call it a lesser of two evils.
I honestly believe we should put some resources back into researching thorium-based nuclear power.
Exactly, just watch Matewan. A movie about the company town of Matewan, West Virginia. Back before miners were unionized. The mining company resorted to some very criminal acts including homicide to stop the miners from unionizing, finally resulting in a full on battle between the mercenaries the mining company hired and the citizens of the town
Yeah, the coal mining companies didn't even put any effort into hiding the fact they sent hired thugs out to murder people who stood up for the miners. Police Chief Sid Hatfield was murdered in that town by those hired killers.
The next great energy source will be batteries based on fusion physics whether or not it's renewable or rechargeable is another matter. In the end there is little difference between NG and coal. I'm in WV where I have coal mines and gas wells both within 5 miles of me. I think I know a little bit about this subject. It's all I've heard about for the last 15 years. I've talked to scientists, engineers, lawyers, any profession tied to the industries.
The natural gas shills are just in it for the money if grandma owned 50 million cubic feet of gas underneath her house and she's kicking the bucket next year, you wouldn't want any coal mined either.
/signed. The truth is out there.
I'm out for the day.
Last edited by wanderlust76; 02-11-2017 at 04:03 PM..
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,700,397 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctichomesteader
So-called "clean coal" is anything but when you dig beneath the surface. The mining is still generally destructive strip mining. Still poisoning water and still destroying mountain ecosystems. the scrubbers in the plants require various materials which are likewise strip mined. Graymont was able to get mineral rights to 10,000 acres of state and national forest land in Michigan to strip mine for limestone for coal plant scrubbers. There's nothing clean about that or coal in general. We can almost entirely eliminate the use of coal and we should.
Natural gas is not what I would call clean energy because of fracking. However, while it does pose threats to water in extraction it doesn't continue to severely pollute afterwards as coal does nor does a leaking gas pipeline threaten water and soil like an oil pipeline. I would call it a lesser of two evils.
I honestly believe we should put some resources back into researching thorium-based nuclear power.
There are massive strip mining operations in eastern Arizona, mainly in the company towns of Kearny and Morenci as well as Miami (AZ not FL), and they are literally destroying the beautiful mountains
This said, There is nevertheless a broad problem in coal country. Many miners have lost their jobs, either to automation or to mines being closed. Most of them have no other skills or training, and there are few industries operating near their homes where they might be retrained and employed. Large-scale layoffs of miners means that other businesses are also closing, so there are few jobs of any sort which might provide incomes for the miners and their families.
What are we going to do to help these people? Tell them, you should go out get an education because life isn't fair? Give me a break?
The principal solution for these people is the same as it has always been whenever employment opportunities vanish in some area. Move out, to somewhere that jobs exist or where one can be self-sufficient living off the land. I have couple of friends who joined the Marine Corps, what else could they do?
Now here is the the real world. This from the largest electrical generation power company in the USA.
Why does Duke Energy generate electricity with coal?
Coal is our nation's most abundant energy resource. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, the United States is home to the largest recoverable reserves of coal in the world. They estimate that we have enough coal to last several hundred years, based on current consumption levels.
Because of its relatively low cost and abundance, coal is used to create about half of the electricity generated in the United States. This availability and price stability play an important role in helping Duke Energy support economic growth in the regions it serves with a reliable and affordable supply of electricity.
Anyone who wants to believe the nonsense from Bloomberg, the same entity who said Hillary would win the election, is free to do so. But coal isn't going anywhere.
And 100 years from now when domestic natural gas is gone, they will still be burning coal.
You've behind the times.... coal is 33% in 2016. Keep trying though sweetheart....
The issue here is that most people talk about getting rid of the industry but very few have any solid plans to give these workers a different career path.
Hillary woman proposes to bring clean energy like solar into these towns. It’s good but it wouldn’t work for every town, and not everyone wants to work in solar. There should be a lot more effort put into it, more education, more career training, more industries going into these towns.
Actually Hillary proposed free community college too..... These folks need education and new skills.... not giving more tax breaks out to wealthy.
Actually Hillary proposed free community college too..... These folks need education and new skills.... not giving more tax breaks out to wealthy.
Sadly, there are those who will see this as "we shouldn't give them anything, they should be made to work for it".
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
