by G Wallace Taylor

Created on: January 16, 2009

In the course of their mission to rid the Earth of man-made pollutants, today's environmentalists have targeted more than one source of energy production yet, perhaps none is as high on their hit-list as is coal. Unfortunately, much of the recent information, filtered through the mainstream media, has little basis in fact. We owe our children and our grandchildren a healthy future, not only free from dangerous pollutants but also free from excessive energy costs and rising susceptibility to terrorism. Today's coal mining and coal refining industries play an important part in achieving that goal.

The coal mining industry in the United States dates back to the early 1800's and by the Twentieth Century, coal was the fuel of choice for powering steam locomotives and it was quickly replacing wood as a primary source of personal and industrial heat. Hard coal (Anthracite), containing a low sulfur content, burned clean and warmed homes with a high degree of efficiency.

As demand for affordable energy grew and transmission lines began to carry electricity from coal-fired plants to homes, a transitional period in coal refinement took place. The plants utilizing soft coal (Bituminous) occasionally exceeded safe emission levels. By the 1970's, this problem was greatly reduced and by the end of the 1980's, coal-fired plants were meeting and exceeding federal emission standards.

In today's national energy wars, coal still ranks among the most affordable and readily available forms of energy. With high-tech advances in technology, the mining industry is involved, not only in producing environmentally friendly energy; it is a participant in new initiatives to improve the environment. Recycling spent heat to fuel the manufacture of other energy production saves money and resources. In Russell, KS, the excess heat produced by the local coal-fired plant, provides the energy to power a neighboring ethanol plant. Other coal plants have the ability to cleanly incinerate trash in fluidized beds, thereby recycling waste and reducing the impact on our landfills.

Unfairly accused of producing mercury emissions that are polluting our water supply, the public is largely unaware that modern coal-fired plants, fitted with massive steam scrubbers, produce very little of the harmful substance. If the mercury content in our rivers, lakes and other water sources continues to rise, perhaps the environmentalists would be wise to look at the high mercurial content in cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) that

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