The Friends of Coal Organization kicked off a new campaign Wednesday at the headquarters of Walker Machinery in Belle. Although established several years ago, Friends of Coal continues to work toward forging a more favorable attitude toward the use of coal and coal mining in general.
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Belle
It's an election year. The legislature is in Charleston and the debate has been hot about the future of the nation's energy needs. The coal industry sees it as the perfect time to launch a new effort to recruit more supporters.
The Friends of Coal Organization kicked off a new campaign Wednesday at the headquarters of Walker Machinery in Belle. Although established several years ago, Friends of Coal continues to work toward forging a more favorable attitude toward the use of coal and coal mining in general.
"We need to make the general public and our politicians aware that coal is the mainstay here in West Virginia of our economy," Walker said as the new effort kicked off Tuesday. "Energy being on the forefront now and coal being thrown under the bus in many ways, it's time to get our industry and those who are friends of our industry active."
Walker and the 750 people on his payroll can be counted among those friends. Walker says he doesn't dig coal for a living, but the coal industry represents 70 to 80 percent of his company's workload. The CEO of one of the state's largest equipment companies adds that coal is vilified by the press and an inaccurate perception is portrayed with no regard to the value coal offers to the nation's security and West Virginia's economic stability.
"The modern coal industry today is not what most people have as a perception in their minds like the 1940's and 1950's. This is a very high tech industry,” Walker said.
Coal industry leaders and rank and file workers often bristle at the negative coverage of their industry. Walker and others are frustrated when "green" news captures headlines with alternative energy like wind and solar power with a positive spin, but coal is usually regarded as the enemy of the environment.
"We're talking about clean coal technology and coal to liquid for the next 20-years," said Walker. "Traditional coal mining is going to have to exist."