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NS layoffs reach Roanoke
Reuters: “207 plants are slated to close, 138 have already shut down since Obama took office in 2009 and began his anti-coal onslaught. If all 207 of those facilities cease operating, it will leave the nation with 439 coal-fired plants, a loss of 32 percent of the nation’s coal plants.”
Its no wonder natural gas look good as the government is eliminating its competition.
Sixty year ago, trains were pulled with steam locomotives powered by coal. These days they’re pulled by diesel-electric locomotives because diesels are considerably more efficient. That change probably cut into coal production too, and it eventually caused “firemen” to look for other means of remuneration.
Once upon a time, trains were dispatched with telegraph keys and the orders were passed up on a stick by the station operator. These days, they use computers and CTC, because they’re more efficient and safer. If you read anything in the 75th anniversary issue of TRAINS, you know there are lots of other things that have also changed in railroading. I commend to you the article on page 36 of that issue.
It’s called progress Mr. Norton. Without it, we’d still be living in log cabins and reading TRAINS by candlelight. GIven the fact that natural gas is cheaper, more efficient and cleaner, it is, fortunately, displacing older, dirtier and more costly types of fuel, hopefully in time to keep some of us from suffocating.
Your politics show through on nearly every post you make, but, believe it or not, President Obama isn’t totally responsible for everything you don’t like, that is happening in this country. Some of the people who are, are even taking some of your money with their crooked, under-the-table dealings, every day!
Once there were 3 billion American chestnut trees.
I think what Jim Norton is saying is that the President’s policies pushed some coal fired plants over the line into being uneconomic that might otherwise been ok to operate, thus putting people out of work that might otherwise still have jobs. This sort of conduct is not what one would expect from a political party that claims to be for the common working people. Somebody will say that stopping global warming trumps everything else. That rhetoric rings pretty hollow when you are out of work wondering how you will feed the family and make the house payment etc. A good environment should include a good job. The environments of the coal mining and coal mining dependent families went to hell pretty fast didn’t they?
I agree with George. If half of those power plants were allowed to continue another 10-20 years until gas, solar, or wind became too competitive to resist, then that would mean 1000’s of jobs saved, many more people able to retire, and it would give railroads more time to build intermodal business.
One more time, fellas. If cheap natural gas continues to flood the energy market, older, less efficient coal plant facing needed upgrades will continue to be phased out. It’s the market, stupid, not the Goverment. The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones. We discovered bronze. It’s called progress. Here in New England, gas transmission line investment is off the hook. We are looking at giant improvements and capacity not dreamed about even 5 years ago. The future is now, gentlemen. In 10 years, coal will be deader than old Dick’s hatband.
Thank you Mr. Butner.
An interesting article on Wednesday night’s CBS News dealt with the amount of painkillers used in this country. The setting was Mingo Jct. WV, a state where painkiller use is very high, and the person being interviewed had been a coal miner. He was sitting in front of a string of non-moving NS coal cars. He is in such pain from a mining accident that he is on a constant dose of painkillers, which, while helping control the pain in his back, prevent him from enjoying many of life’s pleasures. Is that the kind of good job somebody really wants to retire from?
As you have pointed out, less efficient coal plants needing upgrades are going to be phased out. It IS the market. And if a coal-fired power plant went off line because it was not economically feasible to operate, that means it was already polluting too much, and the power company didn’t want to go to the expense of making it produce fewer emissions. That doesn’t sound like the government’s fault. It’s more likely that some of the highly-paid big whigs at the power company didn’t want to spend the money required to make it viable.
While it may be true that coal miners and people who run trains carrying coal, are or were making good money, there are many, many more people in this country working every day, at jobs that pay considerably less, and have no benefits whatsoever. The cashiers at my local Arkansas big-box store are paid $7.65 an hour, and they’re not even allowed to work a full 40. So anywhere you want to look, there is always someone who is worse off.
It’s called life. It’s just the way it is. And “stuff” happens.
FWIW, didn’t NIXON establish the EPA-who holds sway over power plant emissions ?
I’m surprised that some of the commenters don’t here condemn the railroads–which at one time were one of the greatest users of coal–for converting to diesel. After all, that put a lot of miners out of work too.
I know this isn’t comforting to those laid off now, but if democrats are defeated in the next term, coal restrictions will likely be reduces and use will likely increase again and get these people back to their jobs.
Lamberts Point worker layoffs indicates that overseas shipment of coal is declining as well. Whoever gets elected won’t affect lower demand from other countries.
Older plants becoming too run down to keep running was a conscious decision by power companies to avoid air quality restrictions. When legislation was being written to clean up coal plants back in the 1970’s the power companies asked that the scrubbers be installed during regularly scheduled plant overhauls instead of by an arbitrary due date set by Congress. Seemed like a reasonable request. The power companies then used to this loophole to NEVER overhaul some of their plants allowing them to pollute at 1960’s levels for decades.
Even if the next administration rolled back every air quality restriction of the last 50 years these plants would still be old and falling apart.
Other regulations that could be eliminated might include allowing unrestricted strip mining and getting rid of pesky OSHA regulations to lower the price of coal. Give Don Blankenship a pardon; he knows how to mine coal cheaply when the safety of miners is ignored.
we are the opec of coal you would think the government–Obama administration would promote our energy resource not shut it down , give tax benefits or grant to install the scrubbers on the coal fired plants. But no lets layoff thousands of people in the coal industry and railroads , lets increase unemployment put more people on welfare , Now rand paul is a polition from Kentucky he hasn,t said jac about any of this ,yea we need him for president , he shows no representation for his state. mean while Canada is running coal for export ,it shows the Canadian government promots its exports