codyg1985’s Think Tank

In Walker County, Alabama where I am from, coal mines, mainly surface coal mines, dot the landscape. The county sits on the Warrior Coal Basin, where there is still an abundance of coal a long time after its mining began in the 20th Century. Coal mining is what used to provide jobs for the area. Alhough there has been a recent resurgance in coal mining in Walker County, the industry has been leaving the county for other areas, mainly in South America, where cheaper labor and laxed regulations greet any company willing to move their mining operations. The absence of this industry has left the county with high unemployment rates and poverty levels, of which the county is now only beginning to recover.

Seven sites are under consideration for additional coal mining, in addition to the four other mines I know of that are in operation within the county. These mines would provide jobs for many people within the county, but Walker County has a lot more opportunity to land much better jobs with the completion of future Interstate 22. The continued reliance of coal mining for jobs will only hurt the county in the end when that mine is depleted of anything useful and the land is unuseable for years. Moreover, coal miners have a higher risk for ailments such as lung cancer and black lung disease, not to mention the dangers a miner faces everyday on the job.

So, should the mines be dug? If so, one of these days someone is going to drive along on Interstate 22 and think they are on the moon.