Aug 19, 2015 2 min read

I take issue with the Observer-Reporter’s Aug. 14 editorial, “Digging in Heels,” and its reckless comparison of coal-generated electricity to the blight on our nation’s history that is slave labor.

To address the editorial board’s point on the importance of evolving to remain relevant, that opportunity has been stripped from this industry by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Carbon capture technology is not yet commercially available and investors are wary to invest in an industry publicly targeted by its own government.

The EPA’s National Air Pollutants Emissions Trends show that since the 1970s, coal utilization for electric generation has risen 163 percent while emissions from coal have dropped by 85 percent. The industry met and exceeded previous EPA-regulated air quality emissions mandated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This demonstrates that the coal industry is evolving and will continue to evolve if it is given achievable standards based on commercially available technology, not political agendas. As currently written, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan does not offer these.

In accord are the 7,350 men and women from Greene and Washington Counties who are proud to be employed by the coal industry. It’s an industry that pays an average salary of $79,127 and contributes $1.94 billion annually to the economies of these counties. It supports infrastructure, community programs, schools and more. Not only do these coal companies support the quality of life for entire regions of our state, they lead by example in philanthropic giving and volunteerism within the communities that they operate.

With Greene County being the second largest coal-producing county in the nation, I am surprised the editorial board is peddling such nonsensical comparisons.

John Pippy

Pittsburgh

Pippy is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance.