Coal's Net Contribution to the WV Economy

Supporters of coal mining in WV are quick to point out the positive contributions to WV's economy. Those numbers often overlook the true cost of mining coal in WV. The destruction of our roads, the contamination of our streams, the damage to people's health, and the loss of quality of life are ignored or understated. While it must be a part of the economic life of WV, we must be sure to allocate all the costs and be sure the price of coal is not exceeded by the costs of mining that coal. Absentee ownership of the coal and the disregard coal companies seem to have about these concerns should make WV citizens wary. 150 years of mining coal in WV has not led to diverse economic development and has increased the dependency on coal. Sooner or later we must change coal from an extraction industry to a value-added industry where well-paid jobs would be growing and not shrinking. This will allow us to take advantage of our coal without all the external costs that we are currently incurring.