George Allen: "Coal jobs vital for Virginia, America"

Former Gov. George Allen has responded to a claim made by Democrat blog Blue Virginia that cited the Washington Post's account that coal mining made up only "2 percent of employment in central Appalachian region." Blue Virginia wrote:

From this morning’s Washington Post comes a factual response to those who claim, against all evidence to the contrary, that the highly mechanized form of coal extraction known as “mountaintop removal” is a major employer in Appalachia (or anywhere else). As Justin Maxson, president of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, explains, it’s not.

Here is the Governor's response.

Coal Jobs Vital for Virginia, America
By George Allen

It is wise to diversify job opportunities in the Coalfields of Southwest Virginia and elsewhere in Appalachia. But these writers, who are against or unfriendly to coal, are concocting misleading facts to diminish the positive attributes of American coal.

The reality is that coal mining provides very good-paying jobs for those involved directly in mining as well as for people who manufacture and supply mining equipment and those who transport coal to electric power plants, steel mills and our Virginia Ports. A job is important to all men and women whether in retail or mining. These writers miss the fact that coal-related jobs pay more than retail jobs.

All of us who use electricity benefit from American coal, which by all measurement is the most available, reliable and least expensive source of power. Beyond the hundreds of thousands of American jobs related to American coal, the coal severance taxes in Southwest Virginia actually help fund the attraction of new businesses via the Coalfields Economic Development Authority.

As a country, we are blessed with plentiful coal resources. Rather than become more dependent on foreign, more expensive or intermittent energy sources, let’s creatively and cleanly utilize our American coal.