The Sun-Gazette's recent editorial on energy, lamenting the shift in power generation from coal to natural gas ("The false high-fives on energy policy,") makes one wonder if the newspaper's board even bothers to read its own editorials.
A little more than two months ago (Natural gas consumer potential worth tapping," April 19), the Sun-Gazette was promoting the increased use of natural gas, praising the "potential energy savings natural gas can bring to consumers." Now the paper criticizes the trend from coal to natural gas, blaming it on a supposed White House "war on the coal industry."
The "War on Coal" is a myth, perpetuated through a well-funded coal industry misinformation campaign to protect industry profits, distract Americans from the deadly effects of air pollution, and paper over the reality that it is market forces and not environmental standards that are causing the shift from coal to natural gas.
Judith Marvin
Lewisburg
Submitted by Virtual?Newsroom
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The Sun-Gazette supports the nurturing of the natural gas energy boom in our region. But we don't believe this should be to the exclusion of the coal industry because development of both energy sources would significantly reduce the nation's reliance on foreign sources of energy.)
