Rationalize, baby, rationalize!

Coal and oil have a good deal in common. Both provide energy derived from fossil fuel; are defensive when reacting to the idea of transitioning the world economy to cleaner, more abundant sources of energy; are adamantly opposed to “cap and trade” legislation, designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions; just as both are quick to deny that global warming is even taking place.

And both have politicians a ‘plenty to defend them and their more controversial practices. They’re controversial, of course, because they’re destructive, but neither industry intends to cease and desist, no matter what is said, or happens.

Here in the coal fields, mountaintop removal (MTR) is all the rage. You know, clear cut the forests, such as they are, blast away the tops of the mountains to expose a seam of coal, take the overburden to surrounding valleys and streams and dump it, then rinse and repeat.

The arguments made for are MTR are many and varied, but the most interesting one is that it creates useful land, for, say, hospitals or factories. Except that in Pike Co., the only factory I know of is Kellogg’s, and it didn’t need MTR for its land. Likewise Pikeville Medical Center, the largest hospital south of Ashland and east of Lexington didn’t need MTR either. In fact, both were built before MTR became as prevalent as it is, today.

The idea would seem to be that if we supply enough flat land, factories will spring up like the vegetation used to on the mined-out hills. And yet, if you will but go west a little, you will find flat land from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, and all the way west to the Rocky Mountains, most also waiting for factories of some sort.

Oil has its myths that are perpetrated by Members of Congress, Governors, etc. Here we are all encouraged to forget that we are addicted to oil, and instead we are told it is “imported” oil that is the real threat. “Drill, baby, drill” is the catchphrase of the industry. Go off shore, to sensitive wildlife areas in Alaska, because we need the oil, and what’s the worse that can happen, anyway?

How about an ecological nightmare? Turns out the Gulf of Mexico is good for more that the oil that is found under its seabed. There are the fishing and tourism industries, and each of these are threatened with decimation, because British Petroleum (BP) drills for oil the way Massey mines metallurgical coal, with no thought of what to do if disaster should strike.

That disaster has struck, of course. An oil rig exploded, workers were killed, and oil is now being released into the Gulf waters at a rate that will eclipse even that amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez, and BP informs us that it can’t shut off the well. Yes, it had a cut-off valve in place, but the silly thing is stuck open, and is under 5000 feet of water.

The good news is, you don’t hear “Drill, baby, drill!” so often these days. Even politicians like Sen. Mary Landrieu, D.-La., is taking on politicians who defend off-shore drilling, such as Sen. Mary Landrieu, D.-La., did before the latest oil spill.

At least all the news isn’t bad.