The Recommendation of Continuing to Use Coal as Our Nation’s Primary Energy Source rather Than Natural Gas

English 305

Dr. Patricia Kihn

December 1, 2014

Prepared by Henry Schomaker

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Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………Page 2

Purpose Statement…………………………………………………………………...Page 3

Scope………………………………………………………………………………...Page 3

Method of Gathering………………………………………………………………...Page 3

Criteria…………………………………………………………………………….....Page 3

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………...Page 4

Quantity of Jobs/Salary……………………………………………………………...Page 4

Location of Possible Work…………………………………………………………..Page 6

Efficiency as an Energy Source……………………………………………………..Page 6

Environmental Impact……………………………………………………………….Page 8

History/Culture………………………………………………………………………Page 9

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….Page 11

Work Cited………………………………………………………………………………....Page 12

Figures Cited…………………………………………………………………………….....Page 14

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Introduction

This report recommends the continued use of coal as our nation’s primary energy source;

instead of, switching to natural gas. Coal has always been our nation’s leading energy source,

and it can be credited as the work horse of the American Industrial Revolution. Without the

abundance of coal, and its efficiency of creating American made affordable energy and steel, the

United States would not be the country that it is today. Coal is a very important resource in

America, and it directly stimulates the economy and energy that our country is known for.

According to americaspower.org, “Coal mining in the U.S. is responsible for 550,000 American

jobs. That’s hundreds of thousands of hard working Americans find stable jobs helping to power

America—with 154,000 direct jobs stemming from coal mining and 400,000 relating to the

industry as a whole” ("Strong Jobs for American Energy - Behind The Plug"). That is a lot of

hard working American jobs, and within the past few years the coal mining industry has been

under attack by the government and its agencies. Since this “War On Coal” has started, our

economy has slacked and our affordable energy that we have become used to has been

jeopardized. We, as Americans, need to make use of this great economical advantage that we

have on the rest of the world, and end this brutal and irrational war that our President and the

EPA has started.

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Purpose Statement

The purpose of this report is to recommend the energy source that should be supported by

the representatives of, not only West Virginia, but this great nation. I feel that West Virginia, and

the other coal producing states, are not being correctly supported by the local governments. I

have limited my choices to two: coal and natural gas. There are multiple factors, which proves

coal is the best option that will be discussed through the duration of this paper.

Scope

This report will compare the industries of coal and natural gas in the state of West

Virginia. The factors that will be used in the comparison are: quantity of jobs/salary, location of

possible work, efficiency as an energy source, environmental impact, and history/culture. This

report will show the need for coal in this state, and will prove that we have been lead in the

wrong direction by pursuing natural gas as our primary energy source.

Method of Gathering

The information in this report comes from both book and internet sources. Serious

sources were the only considered for this report. The books were found on Google Books, and

the internet sources only came from reputable websites. The gathering of only reliable

information was done to ensure the paper’s legitimacy.

Criteria

This report will examine five criteria to prove that coal is the better choice for the future

of America and its affordable energy. These criteria are:

1. Quanity of Jobs/Salary

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2. Location of Possible Work

3. Efficiency as an Energy Source

4. Environmental Impact

5. History/Culture

Discussion

Quantity of Jobs/Salary

The first criterion to be discussed is the quantity of jobs and salary of the workers. The

West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training states, “ The West Virginia Coal

Industry provides about 30,000 direct jobs in WV, including miners, mine contractors, coal

preparation plant employees and mine supply companies” (“West Virginia Coal Mining Facts”).

This is just jobs that are directly related to the coal industry. There are thousands more; like

grocery stores, gas stations, and retail stores; that would be affected if coal mining continues to

decline like it has the past ten years. While still in high school, I took a random survey of my

fellow classmates, in regards to coal mining. The two questions that were asked were (1) Do you

or did you have a family member working in the coal mining industry? And (2) Do you know

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anyone who is currently employed by the coal mining industry? The data collected was:

This data is overwhelming, because it proves how important coal mining is to this state. Almost

everyone in Westside High School is directly affected by the coal industry. These students

depend on their coal mining family members to provide them with their everyday necessities.

Even though coal mining has become very mechanized, there still is a large demand for

man power in the operations of a coal mines. A large mines can employee at least a thousand

workers, and that is just in a little area. Natural gas companies’ employees are more spread out;

therefore, they require less man power. Work Force West Virginia found that there was slightly

less than 11,000 West Virginians employed in the natural gas industry (“The Influence of the

Marcellus Shale on Employment and Wages in West Virginia”). This is a third of the total

employment in the coal industry. The wages for coal mining are much higher than that of the

natural gas industry, also. A National Mining Association study found that $84,959 is the

average for the state (“Annual Coal Mining Wages vs. All Industries, 2013”). While, Work Force

West Virginia shows that the average natural gas industry wage in $70,082 (“The Influence of

the Marcellus Shale on Employment and Wages in West Virginia”). Both are good wages for

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West Virginia, but with the quantity and higher wages of coal mining jobs, coal is obviously the

best choice.

Location of Possible Work

West Virginia has always been known as a strong hold for coal mining, and because of

the coal industry, good paying jobs have always been easy to find almost anywhere. Studies by

the West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health, Safety and Training show that, “Coal occurs in 53 of

West Virginia’s 55 counties – only Jefferson and Hardy in the eastern panhandle have no coal”

(“West Virginia Coal Mining Facts”). This fact proves that the wealth can be successfully

disrupted through the extraction of coal. Natural gas, on the other hand, is centrally located

mostly in the northern part of the state, because of the recent Marcellus Shale gas boom. With

our government trying to stomp out coal mining, the southern part of this state’s population and

economy is being greatly affected, because of the lack of jobs that the natural gas industry fails

to create in southern West Virginia. Without coal, many communities will be lost, because of the

unavailability of well-paying jobs. The Marcellus Shale does reach the southern part of the state,

but it is more difficult to tap into due to the geological features of land. This is why natural gas

extraction companies mostly drill in the northern parts of West Virginia.

Efficiency as an Energy Source

Coal has always proved to be a very efficient and affordable means of powering the

United States. Every time you turn on your lights you should be thankful for the hard working

coal miners of West Virginia. Affordable energy is a necessity for our American way of life. It

allows middle class Americans the ability to heat and power their homes, but me, and many

fellow Americans, have realized that this luxury is about to end due to the closure of coal

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burning power plants and the switch to natural gas as our primary energy source. AEP writes,

“Appalachian Power is currently seeking an overall rate increase of 17 percent. If approved by

the West Virginia Public Service Commission residential customers in West Virginia would pay

11.6 cents per kilowatt-hour” (“West Virginia Rate Information”). This can be directly related to

the closure of coal burning power plants. With these closures, The Institute for Energy Research

states, “More than 72 gigawatts (GW) of electrical generating capacity have already, or are now

set to retire because of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations” (“Power Plant

Closures”). They go on to explain,

“To put 72 GW in perspective, that is enough electrical generation capacity to reliably

power 44.7 million homes—or every home in every state west of the Mississippi River,

excluding Texas. In other words, EPA is shutting down enough generating capacity to

power every home in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah,

Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Nebraska,

Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana” (“Power Plant

Closures”).

This amount of generating power cannot be easily filled by any energy sources, except for coal.

The cost of heating and cooling our home is expected to sky rocket due to these closures. A

Friends of Coal study finds, “According to a recently released study, the resulting shift to using

more natural gas will likely cost the average family an additional $750 to $850 per year for

energy use in 2020” (“Study: West Virginia Electric Bills to Increase Approximately 40 Percent

by 2020”). This is going to hurt West Virginia families, and it can be prevented if we act now.

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Environmental Impact

Clean coal technologies is less of a myth than global warming is. Although our

government officials believe that coal cannot be used to generate power and not damage the

environment, it is possible. We just need to invest money into studies to find out how we can

make it more environmentally friendly. If we invested as much money as we do on wind and

solar energy, we would find the answer to creating “clean coal”. Many environmentalist do not

realize that natural gas is just as bad as coal is for our environment. With the rise in drilling for

natural gas there comes a risk, this risk is the possible destruction of our ozone layer. The Union

of Concerned Scientists states, “Most studies have shown that more than half of the methane

leakage from natural gas comes from drilling sites and gas processing plants (i.e. upstream

emissions), with the remainder coming from pipelines and storage systems (i.e. downstream

emission)” (“Infographic: The Climate Risks of Natural Gas – Fugitive Methane Emissions”).

What we need to realize is that methane emissions are not any better than carbon emissions from

coal plants. They are in fact worse for the environment. Later they state,

“It is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. An estimated one to nine

percent of all natural gas produced escapes into the atmosphere, equivalent to the global

warming emissions from 26 – 231 typical sized coal power plants (600 megawatts). This

methane leakage poses additional climate risks and erodes the climate benefits of

replacing coal with natural gas” (“Infographic: The Climate Risks of Natural Gas –

Fugitive Methane Emissions”).

Natural gas is going to do more damage than coal. This only leaves one more option, and that is

using renewable energy sources like wind and solar. We all know that renewable energy sources

are even more expensive than natural gas. This only gives us one clear approach to efficiently

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and affordably power the United States, and that approach would be by using coal as our primary

energy source.

History/Culture

Coal mining here in West Virginia is more than just a job. It is a way of life. We are

proud of our coal mining heritage, because coal is in our soul. It is what made our state what it is

today. Many West Virginians are third and fourth generation coal miners who would not trade

their job for the world, because they are proud of what they do. If coal had never been

discovered, West Virginia would be an unknown throughout the rest of the country. Even though

we usually do not receive the credit that we deserve, West Virginia has carried the rest of this

country on our back. We have done this through the mining of our coal. According to the West

Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training, “More than half of the nation’s

electricity is generated from coal. In West Virginia 99% of the generated electricity comes from

coal” (West Virginia Coal Mining Facts”). Our coal has powered this country, and the rest of this

world, for centuries. It has also allowed us to make strong, dependable metal to fueling our

growing country and military. Coal plays a huge role in our country not only for its use in steel

and power generation, but it also is a key ingredient in many other products. This drawing from

coaleducation.org shows some of these products:

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Kentucky Coal Education. 2007.

Coal has done a lot for our state. The most important thing it has done is take care of our people

and our economy. The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training states,

“Taxes paid by the coal industry and by utility companies that make electricity using West

Virginia coal account for two-thirds, or over 60% of business taxes paid in our state. The Coal

Severance Tax adds approximately $214 million into West Virginia’s economy” (“West Virginia

Coal Mining Facts”). Coal companies not only stimulate the economy of West Virginia by

paying their employees good wages, but they also invest a lot of money into the state itself. The

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Coal Severance Tax was created years ago to fund West Virginia in hard times, like the ones we

are seeing today in the coal industry. This tax comes from every ton of coal that is mined and

sold in the state, and it is equally disrupted throughout the state. They later write, “The coal

industry payroll is nearly $2 billion per year. Coal is responsible for more than $3.5 billion

annually in the gross state product” (“West Virginia Coal Mining Facts”). The simple fact is that

coal has and will continue to be the best decision for West Virginia when it comes producing

energy and creating jobs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, coal mining has been a staple for West Virginian affordable energy and

reliable jobs. When compared to natural gas, the main competitor of coal, using these five

criteria: Quanity of Jobs/Salary, Location of Possible Work, Efficiency as an Energy Source,

Environmental Impact, and History/Culture; coal is the clear and obvious choice. This does not

mean that the United States should only use coal, but they should use it for the majority of their

energy needs. We should invest in research for cleaner coal burning technologies and experiment

more with renewable resources, but we cannot do away with coal. It is what fuels our economy,

and since the “War On Coal” has begun you can see where our country will be without it. Our

energy bills would sky rocket and our jobs would be shipped overseas. I see no problem with

creating reliable American energy and keeping jobs at home. Coal mining may be dirty, difficult,

and dangerous, but we are proud to do it and would not want it any other way. Me, and my

fellow West Virginians, ask you to please support us and allow us to do what we were meant to

do – be coal miners.

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Work Cited

"Annual Coal Mining Wages vs. All Industries, 2013." NMA The American Resource. National

Mining Association, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nma.org/>.

"Infographic: The Climate Risks of Natural Gas." Union of Concerned Scientists. Union of

Concerned Scientists, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-

energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/infographic-climate-change-risks-natural-

gas.html#.VH6mQuktDug>.

"Power Plant Closures." IER. Institute for Energy Research, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

<http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/policy/power-plant-closures/>.

"Strong Jobs for American Energy - Behind The Plug." Behind The Plug RSS. ACCCE, 9 Mar.

2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://behindtheplug.americaspower.org/2012/03/strong-jobs-for-

american-energy.html>.

"Study: West Virginia Electric Bills to Increase Approximately 40 Percent by 2020." Friends of

Coal. Friends of Coal, 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

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<http://www.friendsofcoal.org/20141126937/latest-news/study-west-virginia-electric-bills-to-

increase-approximately-40-percent-by-2020.html>.

"The Influence of the Marcellus Shale on Employment and Wages in West Virginia." Research,

Information and Analysis. Work Force West Virginia, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.workforcewv.org/lmi>.

"WEST VIRGINIA COAL FACTS." West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and

Training. WV Office of MHS&T, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.wvminesafety.org/wvcoalfacts.htm>.

"West Virginia Rate Information." APCO - West Virginia. Appalachian Power, 1 Nov. 2014.

Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <https://www.appalachianpower.com/info/news/rates/westvirginia/>.

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Figures Cited

Kentucky Coal Education. 2007. < http://www.coaleducation.org/resource/default.htm>