By The NKY Libertarian
In October 2014, Enquirer reporter Scott Wartman wrote an article titled, “Fact checking the ‘war on coal.’” Naturally it attempted to dispel the benefits of coal to the state of Kentucky since the Enquirer is a proponent of the anthropogenic theory of climate change. Although some facts published in the article were valid, the interpretations of those facts were distorted. I would like to address those distortions about Kentucky’s coal industry with some real facts.
According to the Enquirer:
According to the Enquirer:
(Fact checking the ‘war on coal’, October 2014).
Although that may be true, Kentucky’s coal industry is centered in Appalachia where some counties are considered some of the poorest in the nation. Coal miners in that region now number less than 8,000 – down 30 percent from just two years ago. As a result, funds collected from the coal-severance tax to pay for basic public services like water and sewer projects, libraries, firefighting and even law enforcement, are down by 23 percent compared to last year
(Why battle poverty when you can have a war on coal, August 2103).
A report last year by Kentucky’s own Energy and Environment Cabinet warns us to brace for a 25-percent increase in the real price of electricity by 2025. The report predicts that such electric-rate increases will cause manufacturers, who tend to use huge amounts of energy and thus are most susceptible to costs and dwindling supply, to “permanently shed 17,500 full-time jobs.”
The same report indicated that the other largest employment sectors in Kentucky, including retail stores, restaurants and hotels, “can be expected to fail to create 12,500 full-time jobs.”
That’s a total of 30,000 jobs, and that doesn’t even include thousands of new jobs that will never be created (EPA’s coal chill will be felt worldwide, October 2013). Although the coal industry only accounts for 1% of the jobs, the loss of jobs is devastating to some of most impoverished areas of Kentucky as well as other industries.
This point segues to the Enquirer’s next myth regarding the War on Coal:
Although that may be true, Kentucky’s coal industry is centered in Appalachia where some counties are considered some of the poorest in the nation. Coal miners in that region now number less than 8,000 – down 30 percent from just two years ago. As a result, funds collected from the coal-severance tax to pay for basic public services like water and sewer projects, libraries, firefighting and even law enforcement, are down by 23 percent compared to last year
(Why battle poverty when you can have a war on coal, August 2103).
A report last year by Kentucky’s own Energy and Environment Cabinet warns us to brace for a 25-percent increase in the real price of electricity by 2025. The report predicts that such electric-rate increases will cause manufacturers, who tend to use huge amounts of energy and thus are most susceptible to costs and dwindling supply, to “permanently shed 17,500 full-time jobs.”
The same report indicated that the other largest employment sectors in Kentucky, including retail stores, restaurants and hotels, “can be expected to fail to create 12,500 full-time jobs.”
That’s a total of 30,000 jobs, and that doesn’t even include thousands of new jobs that will never be created (EPA’s coal chill will be felt worldwide, October 2013). Although the coal industry only accounts for 1% of the jobs, the loss of jobs is devastating to some of most impoverished areas of Kentucky as well as other industries.
This point segues to the Enquirer’s next myth regarding the War on Coal:
(Fact checking the ‘war on coal’, October 2014).
The Enquirer contends that lower electricity doesn’t necessarily lead to a better quality of life and shows this chart to prove it. Fair enough. Quality of life is influenced by numerous factors such as the economy, opportunity and the economic policies of the federal and state government. We’ve already discussed coal’s impact on the loss of jobs in Kentucky in a variety of sectors, not just coal. How does that not contribute to our quality of life? The coal industry has a better chance of improving our quality of life than keeping Kentucky ranked 44th in per capita income.
What’s going to be the alternative if we renounce coal as a source of power? Duke Energy Renewables says a proposed wind turbine project in northeastern Kentucky is no longer planned. The Ledger Independent cited a letter from company executive Milton R. Howard that says the company has decided not to move forward with the proposal to build between 26 and 100 wind turbines in Mason and Fleming counties near the community of May's Lick (Duke abandons Ky. wind turbine farm, May 2014).
Paying more for our electricity is not going to contribute to our standard of living.
No other countries are joining the United States in reducing carbon emissions-Myth
McConnell has argued that to put EPA restrictions on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants would be pointless because it won't affect the global output. He likened EPA regulations as "dropping a pebble in the ocean."
"If you felt that was a big problem, you would think everybody in the world would be interested in going down this path, but I don't see any evidence of it so far," McConnell told the Enquirer earlier this month.
As Courier-Journal environmental reporter James Bruggers pointed out, it's not accurate to portray the United States as alone in fighting climate change. The United Nations has 196 nations as part of its Framework Convention on Climate Change
(Fact checking the ‘war on coal’, October 2014).
Although there may very well be 196 nations participating in the convention a new report compiled for the National Mining Association states that a record 107 million short tons of U.S. coal were exported in 2011. According to that mining association report, Kentucky not only contributed 7 percent of the nation’s total coal exports in 2011 but also reaped 7 percent of the record 140,000 coal export-related jobs created in 2011. State statistics show that coal-exporting activity proved even more lucrative to Kentucky’s economy in 2012. By the time Kentuckians rang in the most recent New Year, we had exported $73.5 million worth of coal – an incredible 78 percent more than in 2011
(Coal exports unleash worldwide economic power beneath Kentuckians’ feet, June 2013).
Trends show that America’s coal exports will continue to increase. The International Energy Agency reports that by 2017, coal will become the world’s largest source of energy with 1.2 billion extra tons of coal consumed each year during the next five years
(Coal exports unleash worldwide economic power beneath Kentuckians’ feet, June 2013).
Although the rest of the world might be interested in climate change, their coal consumption seems to indicate otherwise.
The Enquirer contends that lower electricity doesn’t necessarily lead to a better quality of life and shows this chart to prove it. Fair enough. Quality of life is influenced by numerous factors such as the economy, opportunity and the economic policies of the federal and state government. We’ve already discussed coal’s impact on the loss of jobs in Kentucky in a variety of sectors, not just coal. How does that not contribute to our quality of life? The coal industry has a better chance of improving our quality of life than keeping Kentucky ranked 44th in per capita income.
What’s going to be the alternative if we renounce coal as a source of power? Duke Energy Renewables says a proposed wind turbine project in northeastern Kentucky is no longer planned. The Ledger Independent cited a letter from company executive Milton R. Howard that says the company has decided not to move forward with the proposal to build between 26 and 100 wind turbines in Mason and Fleming counties near the community of May's Lick (Duke abandons Ky. wind turbine farm, May 2014).
Paying more for our electricity is not going to contribute to our standard of living.
No other countries are joining the United States in reducing carbon emissions-Myth
McConnell has argued that to put EPA restrictions on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants would be pointless because it won't affect the global output. He likened EPA regulations as "dropping a pebble in the ocean."
"If you felt that was a big problem, you would think everybody in the world would be interested in going down this path, but I don't see any evidence of it so far," McConnell told the Enquirer earlier this month.
As Courier-Journal environmental reporter James Bruggers pointed out, it's not accurate to portray the United States as alone in fighting climate change. The United Nations has 196 nations as part of its Framework Convention on Climate Change
(Fact checking the ‘war on coal’, October 2014).
Although there may very well be 196 nations participating in the convention a new report compiled for the National Mining Association states that a record 107 million short tons of U.S. coal were exported in 2011. According to that mining association report, Kentucky not only contributed 7 percent of the nation’s total coal exports in 2011 but also reaped 7 percent of the record 140,000 coal export-related jobs created in 2011. State statistics show that coal-exporting activity proved even more lucrative to Kentucky’s economy in 2012. By the time Kentuckians rang in the most recent New Year, we had exported $73.5 million worth of coal – an incredible 78 percent more than in 2011
(Coal exports unleash worldwide economic power beneath Kentuckians’ feet, June 2013).
Trends show that America’s coal exports will continue to increase. The International Energy Agency reports that by 2017, coal will become the world’s largest source of energy with 1.2 billion extra tons of coal consumed each year during the next five years
(Coal exports unleash worldwide economic power beneath Kentuckians’ feet, June 2013).
Although the rest of the world might be interested in climate change, their coal consumption seems to indicate otherwise.
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