ASHLAND —
Lest there be any doubt, the U.S. Department of Energy has made it official: Despite all the talk and grandiose plans about the future of electricity generated by nuclear power, windmills, natural gas, solar rays and other “alternative” sources of energy, coal will continue to be the primary source of electrical power generation in this country for the forseeable future.
More than half of the nation’s electricity comes from coal and, the Department of Energy says, that is not about to change. The DOE says there are three major reasons for this:
(1) There still is a lot of coal available in this country, with much of it being buried in the hills of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia.
(2) Coal remains relatively inexpensive.
(3) Unlike oil, wind and solar, the supply of coal is not prone to interruption, nor are we dependent on foreign countries to keep us in coal.
Hydropower is the only renewable energy capable of producing nearly as much electricity as coal does. When hydropower is removed from the equation, coal produces 20 times the electricity that all other renewable fuels combined. That’s why the Associated Press reports that 16 coal-fired power plants have been completed since 2008 and 16 others are under construction. More, including a controversial one proposed by East Kentucky Power, are actively seeking permits to begin construction.
Certainly, coal has its problems. We need to develop cleaner ways to burn it and better, more environmentally responsible ways to mine it without permanently altering the landscape of this region and burying hundreds of miles of streams. Unfortunately, the goal of “clean coal” remains elusive.
But the DOE predicts the efficiency of coal-fired plants will nearly double in the next 10 to 15 years, making coal an even more attractive source of power. The industry seems to doubt that capability will ever catch up. The Obama administration directed $3.4 billion in stimulus money to spur construction of clean-coal plants yet, as the AP points out, "new investments in traditional coal plants total at least 10 times that amount — more than $35 billion."
Anti-coal elements in the U.S. Congress also threaten the future of coal, particularly if legislation is enacted to place serious limits on carbon emissions through extensive regulation or by financial penalties like cap and trade or a carbon tax.
But even an Energy Department in an administration headed by an environmentalist like Barack Obama recognizes that coal will continue to provide our electricity if for no other reason than there is no other viable alternative barring technological breakthroughs or a thoroughly unexpected willingness of the public to pay greatly higher rates for electricity.
Editorials
A power source
Energy department agrees there's no alternative to coal
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Focus on music
There will be no new trophies for winning marching band competitions for the Boyd County High School band. Nor will band members be spending as many summer days in the hot sun in band camp and autumn Saturdays taking long bus drives to compete in band festivals in distant communities.
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Memorial Day
Unlike our other wars, the American people were never asked to sacrifice for the war in Iraq and the one still ongoing in Afghanistan. They have been wars fought by an all-voluntary military and by the “weekend soldiers” in the National Guard and in the Army, Navy and Air Force Reserve
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Still more cuts
If you believe the cuts mandated by the two-year state budget that will take effect July 1 will have little impact on services, consider this.
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Earmarks again?
Immediately, following the midterm elections of 2010 which saw Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives and capture seats in the U.S. Senate, Republican leaders in Congress announced they had heard the voice of the voters and vowed to cease using “earmarks,” the name given to appropriations slipped into bills by influential legislators without a vote.
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Best in the nation
It may surprise many readers that Newsweek’s “best high school in America” is located right here in Kentucky and is open to selected students throughout the state, but then the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green is hardly your typical high school. In fact, it would be impossible for even the best public high schools to emulate the amazing success of students at the Gatton Academy.
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After the vote
We offer today a few reflections on the messages voters sent in Tuesday’s primary election in Kentucky.
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A mild winter
As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, long hailed as the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, we pause to reflect upon the winter that wasn’t.
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Devices banned
Emergency breathing devices that tests have proven unreliable are being phased out under a directive issued by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. However, MSHA has given mine operators more than 18 months to remove all the air packs from underground mines.
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A free weekend
In an effort to promote increased recreational use of the two lakes in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service will offer free fishing and boating during the first weekend in June.
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Ho-hum election
Psst! Want to know a secret? There’s a primary election Tuesday. And it’s right here in Kentucky! However, there has been so little interest in this election, that Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, the state’s top election official, is predicting that only betwixen 10 and 12 percent of the state’s eligible voters will take the time to go to the polls tomorrow.
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Focus on music
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