Seventy-eight percent of respondents believe the coal industry is the top contributor to the West Virginia economy, while 59 percent said it was the biggest contributor to their local economy, according to a survey of 601 residents by Charleston-based Mark Blankenship Enterprises.
The poll was conducted for the West Virginia Coal Association.
Charleston Daily Mail - Friday, November 7, 2008
A new poll released by the coal industry shows that West Virginians are
touting coal as the biggest economic engine for the state.
Seventy-eight percent of respondents believe the coal industry is the
top contributor to the West Virginia economy, while 59 percent said it
was the biggest contributor to their local economy, according to a
survey of 601 residents by Charleston-based Mark Blankenship
Enterprises.
The poll was conducted for the West Virginia Coal Association.
Bill Raney, president of the association, said the organization gauges public perception of coal every few years.
"You read so much about the industry anymore, you want to quantify it
into a scientific format," Raney said. "There's a consistent trend
here. It just reassures us and makes us feel better to understand."
Other findings indicate that 86 percent of West Virginians view clean
coal technology as the best way to grow the state's economy and create
jobs.
Eighty-five percent say the coal industry is doing a better job of
protecting the environment than 20 years ago, and 77 percent believe
converting coal-to-liquid fuel is one of the best ways to reduce
gasoline prices and the country's dependency on foreign oil.
MBE used a random digit-dialing procedure to interview respondents over the summer.
Last year, more than 158 million tons of coal was mined in West
Virginia. There were 601 mines operating in the state with nearly
50,000 industry employees.
"It's a substantial portion of employment in this state," Raney said.
"It's nice to see the significance of the industry verified through a
real mix of the public."
Despite the faltering national economy, Raney said West Virginia is holding up because of coal.
"The economy here - with a state budget surplus of $90 million and one
of the lowest unemployment rates in the country - is doing extremely
well and the coal industry is a primary reason for that," Raney said.
Raney, however, is skeptical of president-elect Barack Obama's views on
coal. Recently, John McCain supporters pointed out an interview Obama
conducted with the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this year.
In the interview, Obama said, "So if somebody wants to build a
coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them
because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse
gas that's being emitted."
However, Obama's opponents have left out comments he made elsewhere in the interview promoting coal.
"But this notion of no coal, I think, is an illusion," Obama said. "If
we set rigorous standards for the allowable emissions, we can allow the
market to determine, and technology and entrepreneurs to pursue, what's
the best approach to take."
West Virginians for Coal, an arm of the state Coal Association, endorsed McCain for president.
Raney said he was "puzzled" by Obama's stance on coal.
"In a sense, how can you be protecting miners' jobs when you talk about
bankrupting the coal industry?" Raney said. "We're concerned on the
national front that there's a lack of recognition of the importance of
coal.
"Hopefully, it's on a growth pattern. You read a lot of negative about
it on the national forefront. Truth of the matter is, half of the
electricity in the country is made by the use of coal. It puzzles me
why everyone doesn't want to join together and use this blessing the
Lord put in the ground."