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TOPICS: coal, sustainability, environment, beyond coal
In Southwest Virginia, mountain top removal is a popular topic whether you are for it or against it. However, most people are not aware of the serious consequences that it can lead to. It comes up in class discussion, around the lunch table, on the local news and in Beyond Coal’s weekly meetings. Beyond Coal is a student run branch of the Sierra Club that promotes clean energy goals on Virginia Tech’s Campus. Not only does mountain top removal destroy natural habitats, but the burning of coal can also lead to dangerous health problems. Coal is one of the biggest contributors to ground level ozone, also known as smog, and air pollution leads to respiratory issues. According to the Clean Air Task Force, 24,000 deaths are caused by pollution from coal plants every year!
As shocking as it is, clean energy is not at the top of Tech’s agenda. As I walk past the coal plant (located on Tech’s campus) every day on my way to class, I wonder when President Charles Steger is going to make clean energy a priority at Tech. Only with his support will Beyond Coal’s goal of eliminating Tech’s dependence on coal by 2020 be attained.
My grandfather worked in the coal mines in a small Pennsylvania town over 50 years ago and suffered the health consequences in the long run. One would think that 50 or 60 years later, Virginia Tech, one of the leading research institutes in the nation, would be on the forefront of clean energy, but that is not the case. Only with the support of President Steger and the administration will Tech truly be able to “invent the future.”
Jenna Klym
Senior
Political science & urban affairs planning
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All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
I love that all of today's opinion columns about getting Tech off of coal were written by people studying majors completely unrelated to coal or even mining. Two thirds of them were even written by people that aren't even in fields of study even related to (non-social) sciences. Perhaps input from someone in mining engineering should be considered before getting all worked up that a tiny coal burning plant is here on campus.
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Input from a mining engineer here, how about researching the difference between a coal MINE 50 years ago, a coal MINE now, and and a coal PLANT. Completely different. And just because the Clean Air Task Force says that anyone who dies of respiratory problems died due to coal pollution does not make it true, find me a link to that number please.
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I love how these extremist groups are stating giving the kool-aid drinkers the idea that all mining is mountaintop removal. MTR is most likely on it's way out (within the next decade). Most (not all) coal mining companies operate under strict regulations and follow them to the T. If you feel the regulations are too laxed (and I would strongly encourage you to research regulations of the mining industry in depth) then attack the regulators ((EPA, DEQ, DMME, ETC) not the coal companies who pay excellent wages, provide excellent health care and keep Appalachia employed.
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I feel that these 'Beyond Coal' people do not understand what they are advocating. There is no way that VT will be free of coal dependence by 2020. The on campus plant is mainly for steam generating used for heating. Most of VT's electrical use comes from the Glen Nye station which burns coal. To be free of coal, VT would have to remove itself from the grid and produce all of its own power. That extra infrastructure would cost tens of millions of dollars. VT doesn't have that kind of money sitting around and the state has to cut budgets, so just how do you propose Steger raise the money? I don't want to pay an extra $1000 in tuition every year.
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