Hailing from the heart of the historical
anthracite coal mining region, I know coal well. Our PennFuture Wilkes-Barre office is in a building that, in a fitting twist, was founded in 1911 as the Miners' Bank Building, and was once home to coal barons and financiers. Our region has one of the last standing
defunct coal breakers in NEPA, a 1930's behemoth on the skyline that teeters on the edge of demolition. Deep mining ended here in 1959, but its traces remain, and its stories are an essential part of who we are. A network of rails-to-trails now crosses the old tracks that carried the black gold to market. Like hundreds of thousands, my ancestors mined it, built homes alongside it, and
even perished with it. Coal played a major part in our nation's and Pennsylvania's history and, as descendants of immigrant laborers, many of us wouldn't be here without it.
But it's 2013, and
we've known for a long time the damage coal does -- to those who mine it, to human health, and to the planet. A recent
federal report confirms the sobering news that global coal consumption ---and, thus, climate change -- will continue to increase this century, particularly in developing nations. But the United States, as the third-biggest coal consumer in the world, can lead the way in other sources of energy, despite increases in China, India, and other nations.
We have the benefit of better science and technology today to recognize our diverse energy solutions.
Putting our eggs in the renewables basket is the only reasonable option, for our health
and economy.
