Coal news and updates

Coal-fueled electric sector isn’t to blame for bad water

Last week’s chemical spill in West Virginia made national headlines, drawing scrutiny from environmental activists who used the incident as another opportunity to condemn the coal industry. A recent Associated Press piece, “W.VA Spill Latest Case of Coal Tainting US Waters,” reinforced this extreme perspective, while neglecting the viewpoints of those who recognize these groups’ misguided attacks on coal-fueled power.

The piece suggests that the coal-fueled electric sector is to blame for the spill. But in truth, it was an unfortunate chemical spill.

Additionally, what was absent from the article was any mention of the significant progress the coal industry has made, investing $130 billion so far, to reduce emissions by nearly 90 percent. And over the next decade, the industry will invest another $100 billion developing clean coal technology and keeping America on the forefront of clean energy innovation.

There is no question that the recent spill was a sobering reminder that accidents happen and that we must take aggressive measures to prevent any such event in the future. But let’s keep the focus where it belongs, not attack an industry that is working to decrease its environmental footprint, while bringing America into a future that’s fueled by reliable, affordable, clean coal.

Source: www.tricities.com