So, I believe I’ve kept my mouth shut about this long enough. Maybe for too long.
As you are probably all too well aware, the person at the top — the chief executive — has brought coal back into the spotlight. The plan, apparently, is to increase domestic coal-mining activities — that means coal jobs, coal production, coal shipping and coal burning all boosted.
As a matter of fact, I was watching television the other day and news to this effect was shared with listeners, viewers. In the scene shown on screen, meanwhile, was President Trump center stage making a statement with what looked to be a receptive crowd at his back and sides. That audience? None other than coal miners, all of whom it would seem were quite pleased by this nation’s chief executive’s remarks.
Furthermore, in my opinion in what appears to be a rush to bring coal more to the fore, a concern I have is: Will miner safety be compromised as a result? At this point, unfortunately, there is just no way of knowing. All I can say and hope for is that all safeguards are taken in all related situations to ensure both mine integrity and worker safety.
That said, what cannot be denied is the fact that from the increased burning of this dirty natural resource, more lives will most assuredly be negatively impacted. The reality? There is no denying that.
Harking back to my past, I remember the times my mom would take me to visit a friend whose family’s home sat somewhat away from but adjacent to a railroad track on which trains filled out with hopper cars each loaded with either anthracite or bituminous coal, would roll by my friend’s family’s abode.
At some point I must have made a comment about how nice it would be to live next to the railroad and be able to catch a lot of the on-track activity. What I remember my mom saying in response was something to the effect of it was probably all that my friend’s family could do, to keep on top of the coal-dust buildup, that would no doubt land, settle and accumulate on interior and exterior surfaces like, say, window sills, for example. What my mom was basically implying was: ‘No thank you!’ So, there’s that.
The other part of the story is the actual burning of the natural resource. Remember: When coal is burned, it doesn’t burn completely. And, what isn’t burned, obviously turns into coal ash — a byproduct. A dirty byproduct, in fact. My question regarding that practice is: How will that be handled? In an environmentally responsible manner in all or most cases or something along the lines of, or not at all? At this point, without further information being obtained, that’s an open-ended question.
And, kind of going along with that is the part about CO2 capture and storage and mitigation of pollutants coming as a result of the coal-burning process. Where does and how will that aspect come into play if at all?
All questions, by the way, to which I hope answers will come.
Above and corresponding, connected home-page-featured images: Alan Kandel. (In the future, coal trains like the one in the photo at the top hauling long strings of hopper cars and seen rolling through Pando, Colorado, are poised to once again become regular fixtures).
— Alan Kandel
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