CHARLESTON GAZETTE OP-ED, Thursday, January 14, 2016
WV must nurture something besides extraction, By S. Thomas Bond, Lewis County, WV
While West Virginia politicians fight “the war on coal,” China is not going to approve any new mines for the next three years. Obviously this coincides with a slower Chinese economy, but it is a decision a long time in coming. Some mines have been closed in the past and more will be closed in the coming year. It is also very much the result of a new awareness of the problems of using coal to produce energy. The plan is to shift to nuclear and other sources of energy that do not cause air pollution, namely, hydro, wind and solar.
The next five years will see millions of kilowatts generating capacity added. China is now the largest coal producer in the world; 64 percent of its energy comes from coal.This move has been in the works for some time. Coal use declined in 2014, and appears to have peaked in 2013. The most obvious driver is the terrible air pollution in Beijing, China’s capital, but it is known that about 1.6 million Chinese die each year because of air pollution, so 17 percent of the deaths each year. Sometimes it is so severe that the government tells people to stay inside at home, rather than to go outside. Many residents have expensive air purifiers in their homes. China will not be the only beneficiary. It is a major contributor to global warming, too.
So when will politicians in West Virginia catch on?The West Virginia coal industry provides about 30,000 direct jobs, out of 750,000 workers in West Virginia as of November, or about 4 percent. Our hearts go out to these people. They do a hard, dangerous job. Last year was the first time since 2009 that West Virginia did not have the most fatalities in the industry in the United States. West Virginia is a resource colony for the Northeast.
The state is losing population. We are at or near the bottom of any measure of education. For example, we have the lowest percent of people with bachelor’s degrees of any state. It is an unattractive place for most up and coming industry as a result. The people are loyal, famous for being hard workers and love the outdoors, but for most there is only unattractive, low-paid, work.
The current emphasis on unconventional gas extraction continues this tradition. The state government leans over backward to please extraction interests, which are capital intensive, offer only a few tough jobs, mostly for men, and people to provide services for them.We need development of something better. We are no longer isolated. We have great recreational opportunities, a system of colleges and universities that should help, and (still) abundant, clean headwaters, which no one seems to be trying to protect. Hey, legislators and officials, catch on! The world is moving on and we are not moving with it.
Thomas Bond, of Jane Lew, is a retired teacher, chemist and is a member of the Guardians of the West Fork and the Monongahela Area Watersheds Compact.