Coal Country Facing The Change

West Virginia can lead in renewable energy too

Editorial, January 11, 2019 (West Virginia Gazette)

“Americans use energy…We think more of it should come from West Virginia…West Virginia is the nation’s fifth largest producer of U.S. energy, according to the EIA’s State Profile using 2016 figures; second in coal, seventh in natural gas, 15th in crude oil…But any developer who proposes a new energy generation or transportation project faces strong opposition from one group or another…[H]ydropower is one of the world’s oldest sources of energy…With industrialization, humans learned how to capture the energy embedded in carbon based fuels of coal, oil and natural gas…Despite climate change concerns, the world will continue to rely on fossil fuels…But every form of energy has a cost, both financially and environmentally…

click to enlarge

Humans won’t go back to the old ways of horsepower. We’ve got to continually develop and improve energy production, transmission and distribution…For generations, thousands of West Virginians have made their livelihood supplying energy to the nation and the world. That can and should continue. Young West Virginians have opportunities to go into the traditional energy industries of coal, oil and natural gas, and also into renewable green energy…The challenge now is to learn how to design and build energy infrastructure that is accepted in today’s social environment of opposition…But West Virginians are up for it. Hats off to the many mountaineers — past, present and future — who take on the challenge…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet