I, too, have a Christian perspective and I think coal deserves more respect

As a rebuttal to the Aug. 20 column by Isadora Koch, I have a Christian perspective as well. The Bluegrass owes much of its current and future progress to coal and mining. Coal has built our society, and the miners who have done that in Kentucky deserve more respect.

Ms. Koch appears to be an intelligent young woman, but her education may be failing in her ability or willingness to check facts. It is true that there have been isolated environmental issues with coal mining just as there have been issues with every other human activity. Many of the claims in her opinion piece are nonsensical and have no basis in fact.

Her description would have one believe that the majority of Eastern KY has been flattened. This is an obvious mischaracterization to those who actually live in or fly over the region. There really is only a small percentage of such surface disturbance, and to use an actual documented statistic, the EPA Programmatic Mountaintop Mining EIS of 2005 stated that only 6.8 percent of central Appalachia has been, or can economically be, mined by mountaintop mining methods. I would challenge Ms. Koch to travel to some of the communities where thousands of people live, work or recreate on reclaimed mountaintops. Another statistic that can be verified is reclaimed mountaintop mine sites are some of the most valuable lands in Eastern Kentucky. Some communities use abandoned underground mines as their city reservoirs for drinking water. I would challenge her over-generalization of the polluted groundwater as well. Originally from Central Ohio, but having lived in the midst of some of the most heavily mined area in the world for the past 33 years, I am impressed by the lack of adverse environmental conditions around my adopted home region.

Coal is a God-given resource as are all minerals that we use as a society. The Green Future Ms. Koch refers to is totally dependent upon increased mining worldwide and even coal continues to play a part as a resource in the alternative energies being touted by a so-called “Green New Deal”. The dirty little secret of the Green New Deal is how the rest of the world continues to mine resources without benefit of the social and environmental responsibility shown in our country. The rest of the world continues to rely on coal to help bring people out of energy poverty. Energy needs in the US and worldwide are projected to increase, and only the most naïve of us believe that solar, wind and geothermal will satisfy this demand.

One real benefit to the world environment would be to export the engineering and environmental technologies that have been used in this country to mine coal safer and in an environmentally responsible manner. In fact, as an engineer applying science to real world issues, there is great potential in solar farms on top of reclaimed mountaintop mines throughout Appalachia. One thing with which I will agree with Ms. Koch is the RECLAIM Act proposed by Congressman Hal Rogers will do much to help the impacts of the “War on Coal” that has been waged for many years. The majority of today’s mining companies are aware of the importance of environmental stewardship along with the health and safety of the miners and the surrounding communities. Although this falls in line with the Christian values of many of the mine operators with which I am familiar, the reality is that mining laws and regulations make it increasingly difficult to survive as a company any other way.

While it is true that coal production has decreased over the past years, it would be irresponsible to eliminate it completely – or even to cripple it to such an extent as to make it economically unviable to the region, as it will remain an important part of the energy mix for the foreseeable future.

Andy Willis is a consulting mining engineer in Pikeville.