From the Annals of Bad Arguments

Anyone can make a bad argument at any time. But when you take some of the most negative elements of your case and try to spin them into a positive, the results can be – er, more negative.

So, here’s Joe Lucas of Americans for Clean Coal Electricity:

"I can take you to places in eastern Kentucky where community services were hampered because of a lack of flat space — to build factories, to build hospitals, even to build schools. In many places, mountain-top mining, if done responsibly, allows for land to be developed for community space."

Love to go on that tour, Mr. Lucas.

h/t ThinkProgress

Cleared mountaintops in Kentucky. We’ll let the coal people take care of themselves, but the article in The Guardian containing the quote is quite interesting – do go over there for the whole thing.

There was chatter a couple of years ago to plant windmills on cleared mountaintops in West Virginia, be we think NIMBY issues killed that one.

Comments

D Kosloff said…

Mountain top mining is actually the best aspect of using coal to make electricity.

August 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM

Brian Mays said…

Heh ... those pesky mountains. They do get in the way, don't they?

I notice that the next paragraph in the article points out that "there are more jobs at Wal-Mart than on the coal face."

Ah ha! I guess we know now why they need so much flat space.

August 5, 2009 at 12:25 PM

DW said…

Destroying the incredible natural beauty of W. Virginia AND the communities build along the hallows and hills is the *best* aspect of mountain topping? Sick.

August 5, 2009 at 12:54 PM

Joffan said…

I wonder, how do you put a windmill on a mountaintop that isn't there any more?

August 5, 2009 at 1:18 PM

Joffan said…

Ha... David, I read Kosloff's remark the other way round... as meaning, "all other aspects of coal-fired generation are even worse". Which is a stretch, perhaps, but the atmosphere is for everyone.

August 5, 2009 at 2:12 PM

D Kosloff said…

So, David, what do you think is better about killing people with coal and using it to destroy the environment? How many of your friends and relatives have worked in coal mines?

August 6, 2009 at 1:58 PM

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