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NEWS & LETTERS, April - May 2008Death in coal surgeDetroit--The sharp spike in the price of coal this year to over $90 a ton, from around $40 a ton last year, has ominous implications for consumers, the environment and coal miners themselves. This increase in the price of coal results from the growing needs of a power-hungry world, which is turning the U.S. into a major exporter of coal. The growing appetite for energy is escalating so rapidly that existing sources cannot meet the demand. This is true not only for China and India, whose growth has been spectacular, but also for Japan, Germany, England, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The impact of these developments will soon be felt in the U.S. Since about half the electricity produced in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants, the price of electricity is certain to increase. Since electric utilities buy their coal a year or more in advance, the increases probably won't appear in electric bills until 2009, but will continue to go up in succeeding years. The increase in the use of fossil fuel, of which America has the largest known reserves in the world, means that more pollutants will be spewed into the atmosphere, chief among which is carbon dioxide, the major contributor to global warming. In response to this threat, there has been a growing public outcry against coal-burning industries, which has resulted in regulations governing coal-burning emissions and a delay in the construction of coal-fired power plants. The corporate-friendly Bush administration has ceaselessly attempted to dilute and bypass emission regulations and has often succeeded in these efforts. Coal miners will bear the brunt of these coal demands, as coal operators will increase pressures for more production. This means less concern for safety matters and the wear and tear on the miners themselves who will be forced to work overtime under hazardous conditions. These market conditions also mean that more coal miners will be hired who will not receive the training they need to work safely underground. And since coal operators are notorious for their disregard for the safety of miners, this will certainly result in an increase in mine injuries and deaths. --Ex-coal miner |
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