Time for Dirty Coal to answer some tough questions

On Wednesday at 9:30 AM, representatives of Big Dirty Coal will be answering some long-overdue questions from members of Congress about "The Role of Coal in a New Energy Age." Chief Executive Officers from the two largest American coal companies will be testifying before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

As we all know, coal is the dirtiest and most destructive of all fossil fuels. It is dirty when it comes out of the ground at coal mines in places like Appalachia and the Western U.S., and it is dirty when it is burned in coal-fired power plants all over the country. The coal industry is responsible for about 36% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions and 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. There is no question that we must end the burning of coal to stand a chance of preventing runaway climate change. That's why getting off coal and investing in the clean energy economy is one of the three fundamental pillars of 1Sky's policy platform.

But as the tragic events of the last week have shown, the direct effects of our addiction to coal go beyond the long term consequences to our climate. 

I will tell you that I was very moved by the events in West Virginia. It was gut wrenching to watch the families wait to find out the fate of their loved ones. As a mother, I was particularly affected by the mother who talked about her son who seemed to be worried that something would happen to him.

Unfortunately, this tragedy also hit home to the very miners, family members, and rural communities that coal companies claim to be supporting.  The depth of this tragedy is almost without words. Given the level of avoidable safety violations, this didn’t need to happen at all.

This, of course, begs a very sad question.  If coal companies cannot be trusted, even with record profits, to look out for the people who should matter the most to them -- the people upon whom they have to rely every single day -- how can we trust anything they say about so-called clean coal technology or other promises they might make?  If coal companies continue to accumulate numerous safety violations and still do nothing to solve worker health problems they’ve known about for decades, why should we put any faith that they have the long-term interests of our society in mind?  

Tomorrow’s hearing needs to be the start of some tough questions for these companies. These questions need to include references to safety for the miners AND the rest of us.  While it is a very sad time for all involved with the Massey Energy disaster, the debate must move to the forefront of our consciousness and our collective actions:  we are tying our long-term future to an industry that appears to care nothing for those closest to it.

In addition to amplifying a more serious discussion on that broader issue, we also hope that some other questions can be asked, in order to highlight the number of ways that the coal industry has been a destructive force to recent efforts aimed at creating a new clean energy economy:

• Do the leaders of companies like Peabody Energy and Arch Coal believe the overwhelming scientific data which show that climate change poses a serious threat to human life as we know it? Or have they staked out their spots in the ever-diminishing camp of climate deniers.
• Would coal companies mind explaining their massive disinformation campaigns aimed at convincing Americans that coal is "clean" when in fact the process of extracting coal from the ground will never be clean, and even the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies that coal execs like to tout are years away from commercial-scale deployment?
• How about the lobbying budget of Dirty Coal? And the fact that a lobbying firm hired by coal company front group the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) was caught last summer forging letters from community groups opposing the House climate bill before it passed.

Those scheduled to testify include:

• Gregory Boyce, President and CEO, Peabody Energy Corp
• Steven Leer, Chairman and CEO, Arch Coal Inc
• Preston Chiaro, Chief Executive for Energy and Minerals, Rio Tinto
• Michael Carey, President, Ohio Coal Association

Peabody Energy and Arch Coal combined were responsible for over 30% of all coal produced in the U.S. last year.

The hearing will take place in room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. and will be broadcast live online here.

We invite you to comment below with the questions you would most like answered by top coal executives when they testify before Congress.