I read Julian Martin’s Jan. 13 column with interest since his comments
were in response to my op-ed piece, “Environmental activists are
obstructing W.Va.’s future,” that appeared in the Dec. 16 Sunday
Gazette-Mail, and his attacks were directed at me personally.
In his response, Mr. Martin pointed out that my company, International
Coal Group Inc., owned the Sago mine (a fact wholly irrelevant to any
debate about the state’s energy policy), and implied that I am a
criminal “against man and nature,” mean-spirited, greedy and bent on
the state’s destruction.
I read Julian Martin’s Jan. 13 column with interest since his comments were in response to my op-ed piece, “Environmental activists are obstructing W.Va.’s future,” that appeared in the Dec. 16 Sunday Gazette-Mail, and his attacks were directed at me personally.
In his response, Mr. Martin pointed out that my company, International Coal Group Inc., owned the Sago mine (a fact wholly irrelevant to any debate about the state’s energy policy), and implied that I am a criminal “against man and nature,” mean-spirited, greedy and bent on the state’s destruction.
Strong stuff from someone who has never met me. While I admit calling Mr. Martin an extremist, I cannot possibly match him in the fields of personal attacks and irrelevant arguments.
When you sift through his rhetoric, though, and if you read my Dec. 16 commentary, you will see that Mr. Martin himself proves the fundamental points I made then. First, environmental extremists ignore or discount the economic well-being of the thousands of West Virginians, including me, who count on the coal industry for their livelihoods. Second, they attempt to shout down those who dare to disagree with their myopic view.
But above all, they offer no alternatives for the creation of a vibrant, modern, growing West Virginia economy; they offer no solutions for our nation’s energy needs. Instead, they insult those of us who seek a balanced, regulated and appropriate use of the state’s privately owned natural resources to bolster our state’s economy, employ thousands, and lead our state’s citizens to a better standard of living, while uncoupling our nation’s energy needs from current dependence on sheikhs and monarchs.
Indeed, Mr. Martin criticizes the coal industry for using technology and mechanization to boost productivity and improve safety and working conditions. Of course, he could literally criticize any industry, or himself, for benefiting from the technology and industrial revolutions. For example, far fewer people work to produce and print this newspaper than in earlier years, so why isn’t this industry being attacked also? Grocers, bankers and gasoline dealers now use self-serve scanning technology, eliminating jobs in the process. To claim the coal industry is somehow bad because it has kept up with technological innovation — much of which directly leads to safer conditions, increased productivity and lower costs to the ultimate consumer — is cute but ludicrous.
I call on Mr. Martin and his cohorts to offer real facts about the availability of affordable alternative energy and answer some tough questions. For example, how many wind turbines would be required to replace the output of AEP’s John Amos power plant? (The answer is between 1,200 and 1,800.)
How much would alternative energy sources cost? (A lot, otherwise the marketplace would have already adopted these sources as less expensive.)
Why do members of Mr. Martin’s own anti-mining organization admittedly fight also against the installation of wind turbines in the state? (Purportedly to protect birds and “viewsheds.”)
Has the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy considered the economic effects of the success of its campaign to shut down coal mining in the state — including the number of lost jobs, the amount of unemployment compensation to be paid, lost tax revenues and the increase in each consumer’s utility bills? (I don’t think they have. The West Virginia coal industry employs nearly 50,000 people and pays hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.)
The anti-mining extremists should answer these questions. I bet our state’s citizens wouldn’t like the real answers.
One issue that they would prefer not to address is their practice of misleading the public into believing that eliminating coal-powered electricity will improve the lives of West Virginians. The honest answer is that electricity bills will likely triple as electrical service providers are forced to convert to expensive natural gas and imported nuclear power from other states. The effect of higher electricity costs is broadly recognized to have a disproportionately adverse effect on low-income families.
My company works daily to provide attractive jobs by mining coal in an intensely regulated business. Our company contributes generously to the communities in our areas of operations, and we spend millions of dollars each year reclaiming properties that we have mined.
All of our employees, miners and support personnel alike, are proud of their contribution to our state’s and nation’s economy. We are building a future of balanced, regulated and innovative economic growth. In the meantime, Mr. Martin appears content to sit back and throw stones.
Nicholson is senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of International Coal Group.
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