Dear Editor:
As citizens concerned for our children and grandchildren's future, we need to be inquisitive about the truth and falsehoods of global warming conversations. The public discourse of coal jobs versus coal pollutants is particularly disturbing. Regardless of what is argued, the truth is that coal is a dying 19th century energy technology that is losing out to more profitable natural gas ventures. In addition, our future is geared toward more diverse, ethical and profitable technologies such as wind and solar.
There is no "War on Coal." But, there seems to be a war on coal miners by coal companies who manipulated regulation loopholes to skirt safety and environmental standards. These "profit protection" actions endangered the lives of miners and their families. And, as profits have dropped, coal companies have filed for bankruptcy. The courts have protected the investors and owners which wrecked the miner's pensions and health care. It didn't have to be this way. Coal companies could have reasonably afforded to line their coal ash sludge ponds and put scrubbers on smoke stacks 20 years ago. This would have saved thousands of mining jobs and made rational progress toward pollution control. Turning greed and negligence into a political advantage, coal companies laid blame on the Obama Administration. In doing so, they obscured the long history of industry-related deaths and environmental catastrophes that necessitated regulation. It's easy enough to listen to rhetoric from industry-paid ads and politicians, but it's almost as easy to view a fact-based documentary.
The Missouri River Regional Library will be showing an advanced screening of the documentary "From the Ashes" from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 16. The film highlights issues pro and con surrounding the coal industry, its impact on workers and the planet, and its current position in the arena of the American energy business. Whatever one thinks about coal, they will find this film informative.