Think about it. Think about what happens to every truckload or trainload of coal that leaves the state. Where does it go? What is it used for? For the most part it goes to power plants in other states, but why?
For years our state politicians have been trying to increase our coal exports to retain jobs in the coal industry, but at what expense? That expense has been the loss of new jobs and tax base of the state of West Virginia. The fact of the matter is we can use our coal to both retain jobs in the coal industry and to create new high paying jobs in the coal consuming industry.
When a trainload of coal leaves the state it goes to a power plant in say Arkansas, Michigan, or Georgia it took our jobs with it. Those power plants employ workers and they pay those workers well. Instead of sending our coal and jobs to Arkansas, Michigan, or Georgia lets keep our coal and jobs, and send them electric power. The reason this is possible is because the entire country is wired into a power grid. This grid is a big web that distributes power throughout the country, and within reason the grid doesn’t care where the power plant is, so lets put new ones in WV.
Let us create new jobs in West Virginia by building power plants in the state. We already have one major advantage; we have the coal here. That gives WV a cost advantage to the power companies to build here. There is already an example of how this works in Mt. Storm, WV. The power plant in Mt. Storm sits close to the coal, thus reducing coal transport cost making the coal cheaper allowing the power company to generate cheaper power here, than say a plant in the tidewater Virginia area where coal must be trucked in.
Let’s encourage our state to government to overhaul the tax code to create incentives to build here. This will continue to pay us back for years to come through construction jobs, workers at the plants, contract maintenance jobs all of which will increase the state and local tax base.
We as West Virginians should work with and encourage our government to use West Virginia’s resources to the advantage of West Virginia. Next time you see a load of coal leave the state, think of it not just as load of coal leaving, but as WV jobs leaving.
The answer to "why don't we build power plants in WV" is quite simple, environmental regulation in West Virginia is more stringent than most, if not all, other states. A good example of this environmental "pro-active" approach by the DEP is evidenced by the 2007 Bill passed by the Legislature requiring an inventory be taken of all industries and activities which emit greenhouse gases above a certain level dictated by statute. This is a State requirement which has not yet been implemented by the EPA. Of course, to a prospective investor, this action mey well be viewed as a first step in an attempt to regulate above and beyond the federal standards.
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