Now is the time.
Herald Dispatch
Now is the time.
If West Virginia wants to capitalize on its abundance of coal, its proximity to the eastern seaboard and its leadership capabilities when it comes to creating clean coal technologies, it needs to do so within the next decade, or sooner, said U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Otherwise, the state and nation have a long, uphill battle when it comes to addressing the country's energy crisis.
But there are many factors that need to be considered if it's to do that, and those were highlighted Tuesday at an energy forum in Charleston, sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Forum and Marshall University.
Imagine West Virginia, a nonpartisan think tank, issued its first report this year and discussed its recommendations regarding coal. The report is titled "Coal: Energy, The Environment and West Virginia," and includes proposed policy recommendations for the future of coal.
Capito joined Gov. Joe Manchin, Marshall University President Stephen Kopp and representatives of the coal industry at the event. U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., had videotaped some remarks for the forum, which took place at the Embassy Suites hotel.
"Families are making choices about putting gas in their tanks or filling up their refrigerator," Rockefeller said. "These are serious problems that demand serious answers."
He proposed a future fuels corporation, government funded but corporately run, to develop production of carbon capture and sequestration technologies.
Rockefeller's emphasis on the importance of clean coal was echoed in the policy recommendations of Imagine West Virginia in its report. They include strengthening coal-related research in West Virginia, promoting expertise in mining safety and remediation of the effects of mining on land and water. Others were training tomorrow's coal-related workforce, fostering new coal-related enterprises and strengthening regional collaboration and more.
West Virginia coal provides more than 50 percent of America's electricity and nearly all of West Virginia's, The Coal Forum reports. The industry in the state employs more than 20,000 people, and the average salary is $50,000.
Energy is the hot topic of the day in West Virginia and in Washington, Capito said, and, "As we look at the national level, we have to face it.
"Our dependence on foreign oil is an important issue from an economic and security standpoint," she said. "A lot of (the world's oil providers) are not our friends."
She stressed the need for a national energy policy, the need to diversify when it comes to coal and renewable energies, and said there's no better time for change than right after a presidential election. Capito added that she has confidence in West Virginia's universities that research can be developed to make the state a leader in extracting coal "the right way and the most technologically advanced way."
Marshall University already has projects under way. The university has received $4 million -- half from the Economic Development Administration and half from state and private funds -- to look at mine safety technology innovation, said Tony Szwilski, director of Marshall's Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences (CEGAS).
The title of the project is Mine Safety Technology Innovation Capability and Regional Business Development for the U.S. Mining Industry.
Components of the project are creating an incubator to invest in developing new technologies, and incorporating new technologies into safety technology training.
"If anybody has an idea, if a company has an idea, we will work with them," Szwilski said. "The project is largely enhancing safety and developing new technologies ... to become a world leader and so that these technologies will be manufactured in West Virginia."
It also involves a component of bringing mine-scarred lands back to productive use, Szwilski said.
He is co-chair of a Mine Safety Technology Consortium, which has 17 members, including stakeholders in the coal industry and federal and state government. The office is based in Montgomery, W.Va.
Meanwhile, Marshall's College of Information Technology and Engineering has had a graduate mine safety program at an academy in Beckley for 27 years.
"We deliver graduate courses to mine inspectors and also members of the coal industry," Szwilski said. "It's a very popular program for mine inspectors across the United States."
Manchin also pointed to a recently announced $800 million investment in Marshall County for a coal-to-liquid plant as a demonstration of West Virginia's leadership capabilities in coal advancements.
"I've had the chance to travel and have seen the appetite -- especially China," he said. "Coal is here to stay.
"There will be more demand for coal around the world than ever before. ...We've heard speakers, economists from around the world who would be totally against mining coal say, 'We will be using coal for the next 30 years.' ... I've had other countries come to West Virginia and say, 'We're going to fossil -- can you supply the coal we need?' "
At the same time, West Virginia should be aware that some countries are turning toward renewable energy sources, said Allan Tweddle, a member of the West Virginia Public Energy Authority. He cited South Africa and Vancouver, Canada, as examples, and pointed out that while coal's price tag is going up, the costs of wind and solar power are coming down.
He added that coal sequestration could be very complicated and bring on some legal issues, as well as raising the price of coal production even more.
"As a member of the Public Energy Authority, I say we must have a diverse energy policy and make sure we're not solely dependent on coal fired power," he said.