Published: November 05, 2009 09:46 pm      

Our Readers Speak, Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

State must change from coal-based economy



I believe this newspaper and the state’s elected officials are doing this state a disservice in promoting the interests of the big coal owners.

For far too long the people of West Virginia’s future has been tied to coal. It has held us back economically, and technologically. It is all we’ve known, and changing from a coal-based economy is terrifying; however, necessary. Coal is promoted as “cheap energy” for the nation. But to the people of Appalachia, coal is not cheap. The price paid in lives lost in mining accidents and black lung deaths is not cheap. The loss of our beautiful mountain tops is not cheap. The cost of devastating floods caused by changing the runoff of water, or filling streams with sludge is not cheap. The cost of polluted streams and toxic waste is not cheap.

West Virginia is a state which is stuck in time. We need to move forward, away from the ways of the past. Government officials who have been bought and paid for by wealthy coal company owners needs to be a thing of the past. These elected officials should be preserving the beauty of this amazing state and working to improve the quality of life of its citizens, not the bank accounts of the coal companies. I would love to see the mine owners and government officials live in a home near one of the surface mining sites, and deal with the flooding, the poor water quality, the blasting, the dust, and coal truck traffic the poor families of this state have to live with.

Paychecks are of utmost importance for the miners of West Virginia. But they can come from new sources, such as green technologies, leading the nation.

Tourism, as well, has huge economic potential that is not being realized currently, a potential which will be destroyed if we continue to devastate our natural resources and scenic beauty. These changes can’t happen overnight, but they can happen if we have forward-thinking people leading us.



Karen Willey

Beckley