Well, I agree with you that "Friends of Coal Bowl" is a dumb name for a football game. I understand the money behind that name, and it pisses me off that this kind of politics is adulterating my beloved sport on a day when we should be celebrating the utter destruction of Marshall.

However, don't be so hard on the coal industry. I dearly love the last few clean streams and rivers in the state, and I would literally cry if they were turned yellow and lifeless. However, there have been strict regulations for years on how coal operations have to protect the environment. They have high tech methods for treating water supplies. Coal executives have gone to jail for cutting corners. Most of the destruction we see across the state was caused many years before the regulations were in place. Most acid mine drainage comes from century-old underground mines that were never properly sealed. Modern strip mines must legally be reclaimed in an environmentally friendly manner. You'd be surprised how beautiful and useful some reclaimed strip mines are. In fact, there are places that you would never guess used to be huge strip operations.

My family has a long history working in the mines, just as yours do. You cannot discount their contribution to the wealth of our nation. Our nation is still one that runs on coal, regardless of what we would like to see. West Virginia needs to take a leading role in development of sustainable energy in the coming years, but we can't demonize the coal industry when they are supplying the power that we consumers demand.

Sure, there are cleaner ways to do things. If we offer financial incentives (by way of tax breaks) to the coal companies to be cleaner and safer, I have no doubt they'll get better. In recent years however, the trend has been to tax them to the breaking point, which encourages them to cut corners and worry more about the bottom line than the environment.