Over the past few days there has been a flurry of activity on the blogs and on the news about Coal technology and our “energy crisis.” Most recently, Harry Reid, the Senate Maj. leader came on t.v and stated “Coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick.” These comments, show the real lack of intelligence on the Democrat’s part.
Furthermore, it shows the typical attitude of the Democrats. They say “no” to everything, except higher taxes, and they do not have solutions to problems. In the United States, there are over 600 years of Coal reserves left to be mined and turned into fuel. Not only can coal be burned in our powerplants to heat our homes, but over 70 years ago, the Germans developed a way to turn coal into diesel, which can be refined into gasoline to power our vehicles. Shell oil company did a study to find the cost of such a process and to equate it to a barrel of oil it would be $30 a barrel. The current cost of oil is $140 a barrel.
But the problem is more significant than that. Energy resources are vital to our national security. It is a sad day in America when the leader of the free world, has to “beg” to oil cartels and third-world despots to increase drilling. All the while, the answer is sitting in our own back yard.
Coal, contrary to belief, CAN BE MINED, REFINED, and BURNED cleanly. No energy whether it be, wind, nuclear, oil, gas or coal can be done completely 100% environmentally friendly. Wind? Not safe to the environment? Indeed! The windmills changed the migratory patterns of birds, which impact our eco-system greatly. Nuclear, is an obvious danger and solar panels would take up so much space they would encroach upon natural habitats. It would take solar panels covering the entire state of Wyoming to power Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas! I am pretty sure the grazing animals would have a problem with that.
But, back to coal. It can be burned efficiently with low Co2 emissions. General Electric is in the process of developing a power plant with low to NO Co2 emission, entirely from coal.
While we are on the subject, because the Democrat’s are the party of the “working man.” They find coal to make them sick. Well, coal mines employ more than 80% of people in West Virginia, an area devastated by poverty. Their plan to shut the mines down would cause a higher level of poverty in an area that certainly has had its share of despair. However, I am sure this is a relief to the Democrats, because they would rather give welfare checks than insure that every America has a good, decent job and can sustain themselves.
The truth of the matter is this: Coal is America’s future. Whether you like it or not, the answer is simple. We can continue to pay $5 at the pump and be beholden to third world leaders or we can look inward and see the answer lies in the foothills of West Virginia and in the deep caves of Pennsylvania. When we call on the coal miners to go deep in the ground to mine that precious material that gives us light…I can assure you, as a son of a coal miner, that call will be answered.
Harry Reid…You make me sick.
