[Daryl]

President Obama better take the regulations off the Keystone Pipeline, the Coal industry, the Natural Gas industry, and offshore drilling so we can have an economy to get tax revenues from. we heard today that my school district is closing 40 schools at the end of this year, and even with 10 years in the system and two permanent state certifications in Computer Technology and Business, I will feel the need to either re-certify or re-locate to keep my job.

ICT

I'm afraid that it's going to be more of the same with a few added crowd pleasing reforms. Save the planet, etc.

We need to find a new use for "coal". We'll have plenty of it to go around.

Uses of Coal

Access to modern energy services not only contributes to economic growth and household incomes but also to the improved quality of life that comes with better education and health services. All sources of energy will be needed to meet future energy demand, including coal.

Coal has many important uses worldwide. The most significant uses are in electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel. Around 6.6 billion tonnes of hard coal were used worldwide last year and 1 billion tonnes of brown coal. Since 2000, global coal consumption has grown faster than any other fuel. The five largest coal users - China, USA, India, Russia and Japan - account for 76% of total global coal use.

Different types of coal have different uses. Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is mainly used in power generation. Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is mainly used in steel production.

The biggest market for coal is Asia, which currently accounts for over 67% of global coal consumption; although China is responsible for a significant proportion of this. Many countries do not have natural energy resources sufficient to cover their energy needs, and therefore need to import energy to help meet their requirements. Japan, Chinese Taipei and Korea, for example, import significant quantities of steam coal for electricity generation and coking coal for steel production.

Other important users of coal include alumina refineries, paper manufacturers, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Several chemical products can be produced from the by-products of coal. Refined coal tar is used in the manufacture of chemicals, such as creosote oil, naphthalene, phenol, and benzene. Ammonia gas recovered from coke ovens is used to manufacture ammonia salts, nitric acid and agricultural fertilizers. Thousands of different products have coal or coal by-products as components: soap, aspirins, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibers, such as rayon and nylon. Coal is also an essential ingredient in the production of specialist products:

1. Activated carbon - used in filters for water and air purification and in kidney dialysis machines.
2. Carbon fibre - an extremely strong but light weight reinforcement material used in construction, mountain bikes and tennis rackets.
3. Silicon metal - used to produce silicones and silanes, which are in turn used to make lubricants, water repellents, resins, cosmetics, hair shampoos and toothpastes.

Pennsylvania

Production
Pennsylvania is the fourth leading coal producing state, mining 68 million tons last year. Almost 80 percent of this output came from 39 underground mines and the remainder from 377 surface mining and reprocessing sites.

Economic Value
In addition, the Pennsylvania mining industry constitutes a major source of employment and tax revenue. Last year, it created 49,100 direct and indirect jobs with a total payroll in excess of $2.2 billion. Taxes on these wages netted over $700 million to the coffers of federal, state and local governments.