After the discussion that resulted from the Walker / Cat post I had an overwhelming urge to voice my opinion on a couple of things and since I tend to get long winded I decided to write a new post.
I’m going to tell you a few things I think this state needs in order to get past the MTR controversy.
- An independent study done by experts such as ecologists, economists, environmentalists, scientists, botanists and probably a few other experts that I can’t think of at the moment. These people need to have absolutely no stake in West Virginia’s economy. They need to be hired by funds provided from both sides of the issue because I won’t believe you if Massey foots the bill and you won’t believe me if OVEC foots the bill. They also need to be independent of any government office simply because no one would believe them.
- Give up the silly commercials that do nothing but add fuel to a fire already burning out of control.
- Everybody needs to realize that somebody is wrong or there wouldn’t be a controversy to begin with. Oh, believe me, I know… the other guy is wrong.
- Southern West Virginia needs to be more diverse in it’s economy.
If for whatever reason you can’t work for the coal company then more times than not, you can’t work period because of the fact that the other businesses and contractors in the area serve and work for the coal company. The entire economic structure is based on coal, a non-renewable resource. Control the coal, control the community.
If West Virginia doesn’t start now in an effort to diversify the local economies then when the coal is gone it will be akin to cutting the heads off snakes, each community dependent on and controlled by *Big Coal will wither and die. Just sit back and watch.
Adding to this post… It should be clear why Big Coal is allowed to take the coal so recklessly. It is the basis for our entire economy and squeezing them with the proper regulations would be the same as cutting the snakes head off early. We definitely don’t want to do that. I think the capital dome is going to need paint soon.
This was also brought up in comments and I wanted to drag it out into the light. Why don’t the people of West Virginia see this states potential as an outdoor recreation destination? I mean, seriously, West Virginia is the perfect place for outdoor activities too numerous to mention. When in Hawaii, go to the beach… when in West Virginia, go to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. It should be – when in West Virginia, go to the mountains, camping (RV, campground, primitive), hiking, horseback riding, dirt bike riding, 4wheeling, hunting (all varieties), fishing (lake, stream), skiing (snow, water), rock climbing, mountain bike riding, whitewater rafting, boating, golf (regular, disc), geocaching…. I could probably sit here and think of more but you should get the point.
We could very easily be more diverse in our economy if we would open our eyes to other opportunities available to us and not rely so heavily on coal, a non-renewable resource.
One last thought…
It seems to me like when coal, a non-renewable resource, is mentioned in conjunction with long term economic growth, it is a serious contradiction of terms.
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*In my posts, Big Coal refers to the coal industry in general and it is not the name of any organization that I am aware of.
Photos best viewed in high definition!!
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When one tugs at a single thing in nature; he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
preach it, brother! i live in WV, but not in the coalfields, and can you believe we actually prosper here? without coal? by gosh, how is it possible??!!! we do have a tad bit of underground mining, but when a strip mining permit came up, the whole town came against it, government and all. we highlight our OTHER natural resources… streams, mountains, state parks, etc. and get a lot of outdoor enthusiasts.
when coal’s done with central and southern WV, there will be nothing left to showcase or highlight for visitors, except moonscapes and a toxic wasteland. it really is a crime against the appalachian people and against Creation, in my book.
This area could stand to learn a lot from your area.
Your second paragraph is the heart of my problem with MTR. Not only are they taking the coal, a non-renewable resource, they are taking other natural resources just by proxy.
I use the definition a non-renewable resource because I think people need to look at coal for what it is. We can argue till we turn blue in the face… but like it or not… it will be gone and then most communities in Central and Southern WV will be standing with a bucket in one hand a shovel in the other and trying to figure out how to make money with them.
I know what we can do… lets put a jail on each one of the reclaimed mountaintops. Imagine the boost in the economy. And thats not to mention the visitors to our beautiful mountaintop jail houses.