Thanks, neighbor, but I draw the line at black lung

When taking pride in your roots means breathing local coal dust

Posted by Ashley Braun at 3:26 PM on 10 Jun 2008

Read more about: energy | coal | health | West Virginia

May I suggest that literally sharing a part of your local history can, in fact, be taken too far? Snipped from The New York Times:

"Coal is part of us," said William Liptok, director of the county's public works department.

Not only does nearly every family in town have roots in mining, Mr. Liptok said, but virtually everyone breathes in coal dust, since it wafts into the air in the winter when trucks remove the boilers' ashes. [emphasis is mine]

How's that, cough, cough, old saying go? The one about the town that hacks together stays together?

For story: Thanks, neighbor, but I draw the line at black lung
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free market

For decades, local officials have tried to block natural gas pipelines from crossing Pennsylvania and passed ordinances requiring public buildings to use anthracite, but the recent debate has raised a thorny question about how much is too much to pay to protect local industry and history.

What about their "free" market, the "genius" of the market?

Even if the price is not better, Mr. Rhoades[Republican state senator] said, an anthracite company should get the county contract if it is close to competitive, to ensure that the jobs, taxes and heritage stay in the county. He declined, however, to set a number on how "close" the anthracite bid should be.

Wow, that's enlightened coming from a free marketeer. How come they're not so broad-minded about values where it comes to MTR?

by Russ at 12:54 AM on 11 Jun 2008

Digging Coal from the Bottom of your Grave

Black lung benifits for miners was abused early on. A windfall for mountain lawyers and people got checks or copensation for black lung who did not really deserve it. Of course they went to the extreme when trying to fix they system, now it is almost impossible to get compensation for black lung.

As more and more miners are forced underground by the new demand for coal, black lung will be a problem in the coal industry again. Most coal now is mined by stripping including MTR.

I don't know if any of this is relevant but my father had black lung before he was killed in a cave in. They get off cheap when you get killed by some other means before you file for your black lung. My mother did not get to draw anything even though he had third stage black lung. 37 years in the mines on face equipment, he had to have it.

For the men who work underground black lung is nothing to make light of. It is just another dark side of the coal industry and along with Mountain Top Removal and Co2 emmissions.

Clean coal, there is no such thing!

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

by Pompey Road at 7:39 AM on 11 Jun 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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