“That place kills people. I will not create jobs that kill people…If the choice is between dirty power plants or protecting the health of the people of Massachusetts, there is no choice in my mind. I will always come down on the side of public health.” -- 2003, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts as he fought to close a coal powered electric plant in that state.
“We have 250 years left of coal. Why in the world wouldn’t we use it? We’re going to take advantage of our energy resources to save your jobs and...use our inexpensive carbon-based resources..." -- 2012, Mitt Romney as he campaigned in Beallsville, Ohio this past week.
what eye thynk: To address the jobs issue, according to industry statistics, jobs in the coal industry reached a 15 year high in 2011; but Mitt has never been one to let the facts get in the way of a good stump speech.
As for the environmental and health side of the coal argument, President Obama has introduced initiatives to develop cost-effective clean coal technology while the Recovery Act is invested in carbon capture research. I'm not sure that there will ever be a completely "clean" way to use coal; but at least this administration is addressing the problem while at the same time attempting to develop alternate technologies like wind, wave and solar power--new technologies that will create even more new jobs.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, wants to leave things just the way they are. Why waste all that coal? Sure, we're continuing to damage our fragile environment, (an issue agreed upon by most of the industrialized world); but, hey, using coal is inexpensive! And the thousands of lives lost each year that are attributed to air tainted by coal based pollutants? Well, those lives are just the price he's willing to pay.
When clean air was the popular choice in Massachusetts in 2003, he was staunchly on the opposite side of this issue. I guess we're supposed to believe that clean air is good only for Massachusetts, not the rest of America, (sort of like universal health care).
Of course, the real issue here is not coal vs. solar or natural gas or wind or whatever. The real issue isn't the truth about jobs gained or lost as the coal industry changes. It is simply the case of a man pandering for votes; a man who will jump the track on any issue as long as you let him know when and where.
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