While we “pitty-patty” along with coal industry development in the good Ole USA, China has moved light years ahead of us.  No back-and-forth stuff, the Chinese are getting it done.  Perhaps in a brutal way, but they are getting it done.  They foresee a dire need for energy in the near future, and are moving with rapidity toward an answer. And they will get there, well ahead of us, but at a tremendous cost in human lives.  We need to be somewhere in between, the humanitarian way, of course, but with some sense of urgency.

We play political football with the development of new coal-generation plants in which the environmental extremists have waged an all-out war to stop.  The on-again, off-again FutureGen project is “on again.” The U.S. Department of Energy has provided a $1.3 billion funding for multiple clean-coal plants and is resurrecting the “FutureGen” name once again. DOE is chasing after power plant developers to share in the billion-dollar project.  How safe an investment would this be for a prospect?  It’s an unsure venture, at best, replete with obstacles.  Firstly it’s become a political debate, and, secondly, extremists are swooping down like stopgap vultures.

Maybe the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) could be the answer.  This is a newly formed group of more than 40 U.S. companies in the electric generation, transportation, coal production, energy technology and equipment manufacturing industries.  This type of movement could counteract the negative vibes sent out by the environmental groups.  Somehow, some way, we need to balance out the power.  This could be a start.

Although development has slowed, it has not stopped.  Progress continues in the coal industry, despite the uphill battle.  For instance, NETL reports that 114 new coal-fired power plants have been proposed, although only 47 are under construction or in the process of getting authority to proceed.  In its report, Arch Coal estimated that 16.5 gigiwatts of new coal-fired capacity are under construction in the U.S. and will be phased in during the next four years.  This build-out will require nearly 59 million tons of new annual coal supply with 75 percent of that needed before the end of 2010.

The malcontents can slow down the coal industry, but they can’t stop it!

KUDOS TO MASSEY

It’s always a front-page story when Massey Energy Company is reprimanded for alleged wrongdoings, but you have to search the back pages of the papers to find the good things that this company is doing. It more than balances out the negativity with “positively”.

It’s the old story of the Boy Scout who helps the old lady across the street and gets no publicity.  But if he shoves her in front of a truck, he gets headline news, writes a book and becomes rich.  In other words, good news is no news, and bad news is headline material.  The media have become “yellow journalists”.  Massey is a community hero in many ways.  It donates millions of dollars for worthy causes. The company teamed up with Madison (WV) Middle School to plant American chestnut seedlings on reclaimed land in Boone County.  Believe it or not, chestnut trees grow best on reclaimed land.   

Massey recently committed more than $1 million to the company’s Spousal Group for community priorities, including education, literacy and poverty.  At Cedar Grove, where the Spousal Groups are planning a new park, Massey contributed $75,000, as well as equipment and volunteer hours.  Massey also put more than $1 million into college and post-graduate scholarships to assist students from Central Appalachia communities pursuing engineering and health care degrees.

And that’s barely touching the good things that Massey does for its community and its people, along with all the major coal companies.

Still, good news is no news.