[Coach_Owens87]

[quote=Armchair QB]:Clap: :thumpsup:[/QUOT

Im niether a legend in my own mind or a genius, I'm just informed, not blinded to the truth like you.You accuse me of giving biased info from environmental groups but yet all you give is crap fed to you by the coal industry. Yes over 50% of our power comes from coal, it's actually more around 60% but what does that prove, nothing, just that we are dependent on coal.
Im not the only one who thinks this is a horrible thing, just recently a federal judge ruled mountaintop mining illegal in west virginia. This put a stop to 4 pending mine sites. The same ruling was made 3 years ago but bush re-wrote the Clean water act to make the filling of streams legal.
You really think coal companies give a crap about you or this region? not really. You miners work so hard for nothing. The coal severance tax, enacted in 1972 to help this region hasn't changed since. It still sits at 5% per ton. But that 5% goes into a general state fund, the majority of it never goes back to the counties the coal came from. here is an example "Flecther left in the budget $3.4 million in projects funded with coal severance dollars for Butler County,a county that produced no coal last year" (http://withinreason.blogspot.com/2006/06...e-tax.html)

What I stated is not a myth, they're all facts, just research them and try to prove me wrong. The real numbers for land destroyed are probably a lot higher since there is no group who keeps up with the total amount of land destroyed. Your coal company may plant trees, good for them, but the majority do not, reclaimatioin is a joke. by the latest evidence nearly 80% of all mine sites do not meet federal requirements for reclamation under the SMCRA.

Here are some facts http://www.appvoices.org


Over 300,000 acres of West Virginia have received surface mine permits. Less than 1 percent of mined land is currently reused for any development purpose. 1 Percent, thats an embarrassment isnt that land supposed to help this area and be put to use.

Surface mining (which includes MTR mining), accounts for only 1.2% of jobs in WV and brings in just 2.6% of the state’s total revenues. The counties where surface mining predominates are some of the still poorest counties in the country. The same is true for Ky. The poorest counties are those with high coal production. 1 percent of jobs, just how is 1% of out total jobs supposed to be such a huge economic impact?

And ive heard the same crap about "what is a stream". Coal companies use their own definition to get by with breaking the law. here is the definition "a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth" so any flowing body of natural water is a stream. those are what is being filled.

Coal wont last forever, and as DW stated we are a smarter generation than those before us. We have the ability to use cheaper more efficient energy sources, so why not use them.