But Arch Coal and other surface mining operators say the effects are nothing like critics make out. Arch is running a series of ads in West Virginia newspapers arguing the point of protecting the environment while mining coal and providing jobs. I'm persuaded that the job argument flies in West Virginia and Kentucky. Young protesters in Kentucky are up against their coal-mining elders, who insist that jobs and environmental protections go hand in hand. The same attitude holds for West Virginia coal miners and supporters who say coal remains vital to the state's economy.
Jobs make friends for mountaintop mining.
Count among them the United Mine Workers union and its president, Cecil Roberts, a native of Cabin Creek, who speaks with authority and concern in the coalfields and beyond. Like other supporters of this mining method, Roberts maintains that state and federal laws should be strictly followed, post-mining land use should be for industrial development, and homes should be protected from blasting in mining areas. This is particularly true in our economy in which service sector jobs are often very low-paying and without benefits. To be sure, coal makes an impact on employment, wages, taxes and other items of West Virginia's economy, while controversy swirls around mountaintop mining and environmental issues. I refer to a new report prepared by Alan L. Mierke for the West Virginia Coal Association.