Averyt, Kristen --- "The Coal Conundrum" [2011] ELECD 1022; in Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert (eds), "The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West

Editor(s): Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849809368

Section: Chapter 3

Section Title: The Coal Conundrum

Author(s): Averyt, Kristen

Number of pages: 12

Extract:

3. The coal conundrum
Kristen Averyt

3.1. INTRODUCTION

Despite the attention given to clean and innovative energy technol-
ogies, coal remains `king' in many communities, not only in terms of its
contribution to America's energy portfolio, but as an enduring cultural
influence. Many communities ­ including those of major urban centers
along the eastern corridor, small mining towns in Appalachia and on the
Colorado Plateau, and tribal lands in the West ­ have been and continue
to be defined by industries dependent on coal. But just as America is
dependent upon coal, coal is dependent upon water resources. Nowhere
is this relationship more delicate than in the western United States, where
coal yields have been climbing while water availability concerns grow.
Further complicating the coal­water relationship are questions of pol-
lution, to both water and air, and regulatory trends that increasingly
favor other fuel sources, such as natural gas. The role that coal will play
in America's energy future remains an unsettled question, but whatever
the outcome, it will undoubtedly have significant implications for western
water resources.


3.2. THE CULTURE OF COAL

The origin of commercial coal mining in the US can be traced back to
the mid-1700s in Virginia. But coal was not established as a socioeco-
nomic linchpin in the US until 1830, when Tom Thumb ­ a coal-powered
locomotive ­ was introduced, prompting a fuel shift from wood to coal. As
industry thrived and populations migrated westward, the demand for coal
continued to grow, ...