How Uneconomic and Polluting Is Coal? W.Va. Gov Wants Feds to Pay Utilities to Use It

So Much for Market Based Solutions

It was no surprise when the West Virginia Governor changed from Democratic to Republican.  The individual had been a Republican in his policy and changing parties only confirmed what everyone knew.  And of course he is a champion of coal.

But one thing that unites Republicans is their belief in the market, that free markets rather than government intervention is the right policy.  But beliefs for conservatives are kinda fluid, they change when their interests call upon them to change.  So it should not shock anyone when the policy proposed is for government to bribe utilities to use coal.

“The federal government would pay our power plants for every ton of coal that they buy that’s a Central (Appalachian) ton or Northern (Appalachian) ton of coal in order to preserve our eastern coalfields,” Justice said.

According to Justice, West Virginia and surrounding states with their three-foot high coal seams are having problems competing with higher seam coal mined in Illinois and western states that’s produced at a lower price. He said the more eastern utilities depend on western coal and natural gas the more the eastern power grid is vulnerable in case of a national security issue in the western part of the country.

See, it’s not about politics and regional interests, it’s about national security.  And a state wants the feds to pay up, not the state.  Yeah, right.