The Pros And Cons Of The Coal Industry

The coal driven steam engine, invented in the 1700s, revolutionized the United States industry. Similar designs began being used to generate power. Today, such machines can be considered obsolete when compared to modern solutions. However, despite our massive advancements in technology, some states, including Kentucky, are still relying on the same principle to generate electricity. While many in Kentucky claim to be “friends of coal”, the use of fossil fuels for power is too costly, both economically and environmentally, to let a simple friendship with a piece of black rock stand in the way of more efficient means for energy production.

The number one problem with using coal for power is that coal is expensive. As of 2015, the cost of coal

“Between 1979 and 2006, the state lost half of our coal jobs, and coal employment is now just 1% of the state’s employment total,” (KWA). According to Bill Estep, in 2016, “estimated employment in the industry [is] 6,900 as of April 1, according to the report by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.” With so few people employed by the coal industry, it no longer makes sense to be wasting over $115 million a year for such a trivial task. Switching to nuclear, wind, hydroelectric, or any other form of power will create far more than 6900 jobs, most of which would be much safer, and likely better paying than employment as miners or factory

According to analysis done by the NRDC, “The most recent data is from 2010, and that year, Kentucky’s power plants emitted more than 40 million pounds of toxic air pollution,” (Peterson). That is over 2250 liters of pollution per person in Kentucky. Kentucky, despite being mostly rural with a sparse population, has the pollution akin to large cities. Pollution from coal has a plethora of consequences, ranging from sulfur dioxide killing crops and wildlife in lakes, to ozone creating smog and causing cancers. Radiation from coal power plants can also be a problem. Fossil fuels, being far more radioactive than uranium or plutonium when burned, causes problems such as cancer, tumors, birth defects, and many more. Kentucky has banned nuclear power because of the radiation pollution that the radioactive waste produce, and we should do the same for coal power plants. These impacts on our environment shouldn’t be ignored, especially since there are cheaper and cleaner alternatives to