Ahh, The Easy Life.

       Why is it that we need to be hard hearted on coal? Well, aside from the fact that coal is the worst polluter of all energy sources, there really isn't any reason, well except that not only is it a bad pollutant, but the extraction process leaves the "coal fields" damaged for generations and often pollutes our streams and rivers. Oh and did I mention it's the worst polluter of all?
       Now everyone admits we can't just stop using coal overnight. We're going to have to ease our way into a cleaner, safer energy future. And therein lies the problem. Ya see, as soon as we admit that fact, the coal world smiles, sits back and keeps on with business as usual. Congress really doesn't want to shut down the subsidies it gives to the coal industry and they don't want to admit the need to subsidize renewable energy.
       Here's the reasons for not wanting to change anything. First off, change of any kind is hard work, and second, the coal industry supports a lot of politicians, a lot more than renewable energy. But there's a third reason too, the politicians would have to admit that there's a real and grave reason to stop polluting our planet. I know that sounds dumb, but understand these folks have been steadfastly accusing science of lying about global warming being caused by humans.  They said it not to be anti-science  in and of itself, but because of all the jobs it would cost and the harm that would do to the economy. They didn't consider all the jobs it would create. And did I mention all the politicians the coal industry supports?
       So while we have to phase renewables in, we do have to, and at the same time, phase out fossil fuels usage. For starters we need to price fossil fuels at the actual costs of those fossil fuels. That includes the cleanup of  the pollution and waste they cause and not just the labor of extraction. For the folks in Congress, it would be a lot easier to just leave things as they are. So is that why we pay them? To leave things as they are?