Aug 9, 2008

Speaking at a Southern States Energy Board meeting Friday, Manchin said more renewable projects will protect West Virginia from criticism as it pushes coal as critical to helping America achieve energy independence.

Manchin says using wind, biomass, even waste to generate electricity still leaves West Virginia 75 percent or more short of meeting its needs. But Manchin says doing so means no one can discredit the state’s message about coal.

Both excerpts from here.

This story is about a month old but I think it is important to realize what Manchin is saying, or at least my interpretation.

The reason I have been thinking about this is because after talking about supporting renewable resources, he doesn’t seem to be interested in the Coal River Wind project. That’s because he wants to promote renewable resources that help him promote coal and much like the grass on a valley fill, it’s all about appearance and camouflage.

In the first paragraph, he wants to promote renewable resources to protect West Virginia from criticism as it pushes coal. If we give the appearance of trying to do the right thing, maybe we can get by with doing the wrong thing longer.

In the second paragraph, he wants to promote renewable resources so no one can discredit the state’s message about coal. I’m curious, what is the state’s message about coal? Is it, Clean Carbon Neutral Coal? or, Coal keeps the lights on? Or is it simply that coal is the best we can do?

I can say with a fair amount of confidence you will not see Governor Manchin get behind a renewable energy project that shows we can do better because simply put, his office is owned by the coal industry.

With all that being said, I urge you to visit the Coal River Wind website and sign the petition. We can do better and at some point we are going to have to take the first steps towards a sustainable future. I think the Coal River Wind project is a great first step.