It's not all about "Global Warming". The coal industry has been declining since well before global warming became an issue. Increased automation and other methods which are less labor intensive has led to the loss of many jobs since the early 80's. And with many of the thick, easy to mine seams disappearing, Kentucky is literally running out of coal. Throw in aging coal power plants that are nearing retirement being replaced with cheaper, more efficient gas plants (that do pollute less), and it's clear that there is more to it than the global warming activists that are hurting this industry.

 

 

Mitch isn't running this commercial though so many won't believe it.

 

Seriously, guys, both sets are trying to score political points and neither are responsible for the decline or growth of the coal industry.

While not responsible, the EPA has accelerated the decline of the coal. The coal companies themselves have been their own worst enemy though.

Coal in Eastern KY has been in steep decline for 30 years. Coal elsewhere is cheaper, not to mention natural gas.

 

My problem is this is long overdue, and that lands at the feet of Obama, Mitch, Rogers. While all three have been playing politics, an extremely poor region of our nation has been struggling.

 

I'd say more like 6 years instead of the 30. If your saying the steep decline.

I'd say more like 6 years instead of the 30. If your saying the steep decline.

Thirty years is accurate. See chart below.

Descriptive of many:

 

 

 

You sir have the wrong idea of me. Why, just last night the wife took a pic of me reading the articles:

 

I guess he was thinking out of the box to take that. Something many conservatives cannot (no will not) do.

You really need to change your avatar. You're giving Dalton a bad name.:dancingpa

Not fair brother. I listen to and read all this stuff and I form my own opinion. Am I not permitted to do that? Only folks that agree with the "warming" theory allowed to have the correct opinion?

 

Of course you can have an opinion. That's what our forums (and this one in particular) are for.

 

And I'm not hammering you. It just seems to me that the overwhelming majority disagree with this one.

 

And as others have noted, coal has been on the decline for quite a while. As ol' pap likes to proclaim - go nuclear.

Ol dog for what it's worth I was cynical on climate change for a while. I will agree that the United States contribution is in decline in comparison to China and some other industrialized nations, but we always want to be a leader and this may be one of the most important issues that Americans lead on.

 

Like Mcpapa said this is an overwhelming majority opinion of scientists today. Could they be wrong, certainly, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

Nevertheless coal's disappearance in EKY has nothing to do with politicians.

Of course you can have an opinion. That's what our forums (and this one in particular) are for.

 

And I'm not hammering you. It just seems to me that the overwhelming majority disagree with this one.

 

And as others have noted, coal has been on the decline for quite a while. As ol' pap likes to proclaim - go nuclear.

 

I disagree about your overwhelming majority posting. There's a section in the book, Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming: The NIPCC Report on Scientific Consensus. Here's an excerpt:

 

“Probably the most widely repeated claim in the debate over global warming is that ‘97% of scientists agree’ that climate change is man-made and dangerous,” the authors write. “This claim is not only false, but its presence in the debate is an insult to science.”

 

With these words, the authors begin a detailed analysis of one of the most controversial topics of the day. The authors make a compelling case against claims of a scientific consensus. The purported proof of such a consensus consists of sloppy research by nonscientists, college students, and a highly partisan Australian blogger. Surveys of climate scientists, even those heavily biased in favor of climate alarmism, find extensive disagreement on the underlying science and doubts about its reliability.

 

The authors point to four reasons why scientists disagree about global warming: a conflict among scientists in different and often competing disciplines; fundamental scientific uncertainties concerning how the global climate responds to the human presence; failure of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide objective guidance to the complex science; and bias among researchers.

 

Now, I'm not as studious as you so it would probably take me some time to come up with graphs to the opposing view. But as a previous President stated, it NUCULAR!!!

And I think we can disavow the notion that President Obama is doing this to curry favor among EKY voters. There are more DINOs in the Commonwealth than in the Mesozoic Era.

Grants run out

 

Money from Gov won't always be there

Thirty years is accurate. See chart below.

[ATTACH]55314[/ATTACH]

 

Your chart is for all of the US coal industry. I agree with bluetip, the last 5 to 6 years has been devastating. The drug abuse in coal country is off the charts.

 

The money will help, but it should have came 5 to 10 years ago. Industry of any kind should be pushed to this region, via tax breaks ect ect.

I disagree about your overwhelming majority posting. ...

More Americans, including Republicans, say man-made global warming is real, according to a recently released Gallup poll:

 

"A new Gallup Poll brings some interesting and encouraging news about Americans and climate change: Concern about global warming is at its highest point since 2008.

 

Nearly two-thirds of those polled, 64 percent, say they are “worried a great deal/fair amount” about this threat. That’s 9 percentage points higher than last year.

 

We’ve known for a while that most Americans accept the reality of climate change, but their level of concern has varied. So this jump in the realization that we’re facing a serious threat is noteworthy – if we can translate it into support for action.

 

Just as importantly, more Americans than ever see that these temperature changes are caused by human activities. That number, 65 percent, is 10 percentage points higher than last year.

 

That’s important because once you realize we are causing the problem, the next logical step is that we can fix it by doing things differently – such as move faster toward clean energy.

 

You might think the current polarized political atmosphere has made opinions on the issue more partisan, but the opposite is true. Today, 40 percent of Republicans say they worry a great deal or fair amount about climate change, up from 31 percent a year earlier.

 

Poll: Americans haven't been this worried about climate change since 2

Don't get too caught up in polls, wasn't there just a poll before Christmas that showed Americans were much less worried about climate than they had been in the past?