I truly don't have an opinion on coal in particular. I think that coal is being used in such great quantities that we wont have it anymore and we wont know what to do. But I don't think coal is a big bad monster that we're digging out of the ground. I can see the valid points from both sides.
I can see how some methods are harmful to the environment and destroys homes for many people. I can see how the treatment of miners is bad and how there are fewer and fewer jobs because machines are taking over the industry. I can see that West Virginia's government is in the Coal Companies pockets.
But I can also see how West Virginia's economy is dependent on coal, I get to see it first hand. I can see how companies are trying to regrow forests (even if the trees aren't healthy or native to that particular area) and how mining sites can be used for many different things (cemeteries, jails, malls, trails, etc.).
I think mining regulations need to be followed more closely and that the word of the people living around where a mining site is should have more say in what happens to their own land, and I think that we need to find alternatives to coal.
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