[Wildcatk23]

How will it help the coal mines. From my understanding Gas is much much cheaper right now. I believe Vector asked In another thread and TheRealThing avoided the question. How will it help the coal mines?

[Hoot Gibson]

How will it help the coal mines. From my understanding Gas is much much cheaper right now. I believe Vector asked In another thread and TheRealThing avoided the question. How will it help the coal mines?

In the short run, it won't help much because, like you said, low gas prices are hurting the coal industry now - and also large stockpiles that are the result of a mild winter are not helping matters. The damage that Obama is doing to the coal industry is long term and electing Romney will be a big boost to coal mining in the future.

There is no way that the industry will survive in the Appalachian coal fields if companies cannot obtain adequate permits to operate. The EPA is currently trying to regulate the coal industry out of business through regulation and that is something that Romney can halt immediately.

Gas prices will begin to rise as demand rises to meet the supply. Remember, low gas prices do not provide much of an incentive to companies to drill, so producers will be looking to develop new markets where customers will be willing to spend more. Low gas prices, if they persist, will spur conversion of bus and truck fleets to natural gas operation. All of the many buses that operate in both Washington's Metro system, and in Fairfax County's bus system already run on natural gas. You can bet that there are many conversion projects already in progress around the country and natural gas consumption by buses, trucks, and automobiles is poised for a substantial increase.

The coal industry will rebound if the federal government allows it to revive itself. However, the longer miners are out of work, the harder it becomes to find qualified, trained, sober miners for companies to hire. Another four years of Obama will mean another four years of decline for the industry and things will only get worse with time.

[Old School]

A few short years ago natural gas was over $8 per cfm, and the major gas producers started sinking wells from Norther West Virginia to Suthern New York, and have basicly flooded the market. Many of the larger producers are near their storage capacity and are starting to scale back on production. I think we will start seeing natural gas prices increase over the next couple of years.

To answer your question, Romney could help the coal industry by reigning in the EPA and letting the free market determine which energy source we use.

[vector]

A few short years ago natural gas was over $8 per cfm, and the major gas producers started sinking wells from Norther West Virginia to Suthern New York, and have basicly flooded the market. Many of the larger producers are near their storage capacity and are starting to scale back on production. I think we will start seeing natural gas prices increase over the next couple of years.

To answer your question, Romney could help the coal industry by reigning in the EPA and letting the free market determine which energy source we use.

i'm afraid natural gas is here to stay this is when the gas boom started

In 2005, the Bush/ Cheney Energy Bill exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act. It exempts companies from disclosing the chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing. Essentially, the provision took the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) off the job. It is now commonly referred to as the Halliburton Loophole.

until natural gas is regulated this fracking is new stuff we don't realy know
what kind of damage it is going to do

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/...t-fracking

http://www.marcellus-shale.us/2005-Energy-Act.

[Old School]

i'm afraid natural gas is here to stay this is when the gas boom started

In 2005, the Bush/ Cheney Energy Bill exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act. It exempts companies from disclosing the chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing. Essentially, the provision took the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) off the job. It is now commonly referred to as the Halliburton Loophole.

until natural gas is regulated this fracking is new stuff we don't realy know
what kind of damage it is going to do

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/...t-fracking

http://www.marcellus-shale.us/2005-Energy-Act.

Natural gas has been around for a long time and no doubt it will be around for years to come, however gas prices along with coal have been up and down many times over the past several decades. I hope that people realize that natural gas prices will not stay at the same levels they are today.

[TheRealThing]

How will it help the coal mines. From my understanding Gas is much much cheaper right now. I believe Vector asked In another thread and TheRealThing avoided the question. How will it help the coal mines?

I certainly did not mean to avoid the question. Look at it like this. What I was saying was that Obama has his foot on the throat of a 'suffocating' coal industry. Natural gas is a viable fuel source and I'm not knocking it. What I'm saying is why cripple a viable industry, coal, that we have ready access to mine. We have an established market for coal as well, meaning all the pieces are in place to continue using this long established fuel source.

The ONLY reason Obama and the green loons are forcing the coal industry to it's knees is because of the dellusional and unsubstantiated, claims made by those trying to wish the world into some kind of a sky is falling world ending doomsday scenario. The whole thing is ridiculous.

The argument for using gas is a just a dodge created by the left to take the focus off their efforts to kill the coal industry. If folks want to use gas because it's cheaper that's a different argument. How will it help if Romney gets elected? Eased regulations and taking so much pressure off the coal industry will at least allow them to compete on a level playing field. Your know, like playing against a stacked little league team? It isn't fair.

[vector]

Natural gas has been around for a long time and no doubt it will be around for years to come, however gas prices along with coal have been up and down many times over the past several decades. I hope that people realize that natural gas prices will not stay at the same levels they are today.

that's true but not the fracking there finding more natural gas than they
can burn and it's not regulated the power company is a business it's
all about the bottom line now if romney would regulate natrual gas like
coal is but i don't think he will

[Bob Seger]

that's true but not the fracking there finding more natural gas than they
can burn and it's not regulated the power company is a business it's
all about the bottom line now if romney would regulate natrual gas like
coal is but i don't think he will

Where ae you coming up that this is some sort of a new process? Fracking has been around for a long long time. There is nothing new about it at all. The eastern Kentucky oil/gas fields have been fracked for decades.

[vector]

Where ae you coming up that this is some sort of a new process? Fracking has been around for a long long time. There is nothing new about it at all. The eastern Kentucky oil/gas fields have been fracked for decades.

yes it's been around a while but this is what realy got the ball rolling


http://joejolly.wordpress.com/2011/05/12...t-started/

[vector]

and here's another big reason

http://geology.com/articles/marcellus-shale.shtml

[RunItUpTheGut]

One reason Wildcat------EPA.


Along with what Hoot and old school wrote, you cant get permits if the tree hugging EPA wont give them to you.

If you need any more proof, vote Romney.
If Obama wins, coal will be nonexistent if he manages to stay in office for the full four years without getting impeached.
Thus, there will be no economy in EKY, and just what we need even more dope heads and thieves.

[Old School]

that's true but not the fracking there finding more natural gas than they can burn and it's not regulated the power company is a business it'sall about the bottom line now if romney would regulate natrual gas like coal is but i don't think he will

Like Bob said, they have been fracking gas wells for a long time. I have been told by people in the gas industry that a normal well in central Appalachia at full production can last 25 years, while the wells currently being drilled in the Allegheny region are more productive but only last 6 to 8 years at full production.

[TheRealThing]

Vector, I don't know what makes you think anyone can guess what point you may be trying to make by posting the link for an article of the length and scope of this one. I did notice in the article that naturally occuring fractures exist in the the Devonian-age shale deposits of Marcellus shale, which underlys Kentucky and West Virginia. All fracking does is create more of these fractures. (see paragraphs below) The liberal sky-is-falling crowd, has raised more of the same old resistance to the use of naturally occuring fuels we are blessed with but, are discouraged from using because of imaginary, earth destroying consequences, they have dreamed up.

Horizontal Drilling to Penetrate More Fractures---
The fractures (also known as "joints") in the Marcellus Shale are vertical. So, a vertical borehole would be expected to intersect very few of them. However, a horizontal well, drilled perpendicular to the most common fracture orientation should intersect a maximum number of fractures.

Increase the Number of Fractures---
A second method is used to increase the productivity of a well. That is to increase the number of fractures in a well using a technique known as "hydraulic fracturing" or "hydrofracing". This method uses high-pressure water or a gel to induce fractures in the rock surrounding the well bore.

[vector]

you guys just don't get it the power company's invested billion's
in these gas plant's the oil company's have bought about all of the
gas company's it's not regulated i hate to see it myself but this was
coming no matter who is the president because what it is going to
do to the coal industry is cut wages and benifits it's already started
epa or no epa if they was to let the mountain top removal have there
permits they would already be more layoffs because they mine more coal and cheaper that means they flood the market alot of the power company's are trying right now to get out of there contracts we will have to see who has the smartest lawyer or the power company could find them a hard right wing judge that would let them out of there contracts

[TheRealThing]

you guys just don't get it the power company's invested billion's
in these gas plant's the oil company's have bought about all of the
gas company's it's not regulated i hate to see it myself but this was
coming no matter who is the president because what it is going to
do to the coal industry is cut wages and benifits it's already started
epa or no epa if they was to let the mountain top removal have there
permits they would already be more layoffs because they mine more coal and cheaper that means they flood the market alot of the power company's are trying right now to get out of there contracts we will have to see who has the smartest lawyer or the power company could find them a hard right wing judge that would let them out of there contracts

I understand what you're saying. Can you understand that over regulation in the coal industry makes it even harder for them to compete? Sometimes particular conditions exist that make coal a reasonable choice, all of the generating stations in the US have not been converted to use natural gas. The electricity generating industry has to spend money to convert coal burning facilities and therefore coal is still needed. Why, if the concern really is that we will run out of fossil fuels sometime in the relatively near future, are we now willing to use natural gas like there aint no tomorrow? Wouldn't it be better to go ahead and use coal and gas? There's no shortage of coal and yet we seem willing to kill the coal industry just because gas is somewhat cheaper right now. I guantee you if the coal industry does die, the cost natural gas will go through the roof. Not to mention the fact that untold millions have been spent to date to install scrubbers in an honest attempt to comply with clean air standards by the power generating industry. Another King's ransom down the drain because chicken little (alias the green loons) think the sky is falling.

I remember in the 70's the big rage was that electricity was supposed to be cheaper than natural gas and there was a heat pump boom and electric water heater boom. A scant few years later the market had made a correction and all of a sudden, gas was in vogue again and so it remains to this day. The utilities industry would not just jump up and revamp all their generating stations and commit so much money if they didn't believe government was forcing their hand. America's industry knows why and when to commit the vast resources needed to eliminate all the coal fired units of this country, that of course in this case, is because the Obama administration is taking no prisoners when it comes to a strong pursuit and implimentation of the green agenda. So the utilites industries are being proactive to stay profitable.