Oct 27, 2012 2 min read

I would like to add my two cents in response to the two recent letters to the editor on the coal industry. The Center for Coalfield Justice just released a report it commissioned on “The Impact of Coal on the Pennsylvania State Budget,” which can be viewed at www.coalfieldjustice.org. The bottom line is the coal industry cost Pennsylvania taxpayers $164.9 million in 2010-2011. Yes, coal does benefit a few local communities, but it’s a tax burden on the state’s overall economy. The residents and taxpayers of Pennsylvania will be paying for “coal mistakes” for years to come. Whereas natural gas is now considered the new, superior fuel to coal, we still haven’t learned from previous mistakes with coal. There should have been a severance tax on coal, the creation of a permanent mineral trust fund and stronger regulations to protect landowners from destructive longwall mining. Pennsylvania residents will continue to pay for clean-up costs associated with acid mine drainage and fly ash impoundments, to name a few. No, we can’t stop the development of natural gas, but let’s make sure Pennsylvania residents aren’t paying for the same mistakes that were made with coal. If regulations are in place to protect the citizens, let’s make sure these regulations apply to all fossil fuel extraction practices. Debbie Harter Community Organizer Center for Coalfield Justice Washington