University of North Carolina student Timothy Bame analyzes the real costs incurred from the “War on Coal.”

…According to the World Coal Association, 45% of the electricity generated in the United States is through the use of coal. It is also by far the cheapest form of electricity and the easiest to obtain, yet it remains in plentiful supply. Kentucky, which is third in U.S. coal production (Wyoming is the highest), also has the second lowest energy costs in the nation. Why? Because according to the Kentucky Coal and Energy Education Project, 95% of their electricity is generated by coal. In turn, not only does the coal industry create billions of dollars for the economy of the state but also thousands of jobs within it, involving mining, transportation, and other areas. Additionally, these low energy costs are attractive to other industries as well. For instance, a number of auto manufacturers have chosen to build plants in Kentucky.

…Now as for these other sources of energy, the two that environmentalists like to cite most often are solar and wind power. However, despite what you might hear, both have their own drawbacks. The obvious one is that they’re both expensive. Both require the use of rare materials that are still quite rare. However, most importantly, they are unable to provide the sheer amount of electricity that we need and they have their own environmental concerns. First of all, solar panels are reliant on the sun. As we all know, the sun is more intense at some times than others. Therefore, the energy supply is not consistent. In the same way, wind power is obviously dependent on the intensity of the wind. It also takes a large amount of space to make a large impact….

This brings us to the unavoidable fact that no form of electrical production can be without some pollution. “Clean” energy is a myth. But, if we want to discuss a way to reduce pollution with little economic cost, researchers at Ohio State University have developed a process that removes 99 percent of the pollution from coal. While it would be extremely costly to implement such a process in coal burning plants, what this should teach us is that rather than trying to destroy the coal industry in favor of inefficient alternative forms of energy, we should instead focus on ways to make coal production “cleaner” and more efficient…