I'm a local blogger

In January I decided to write a blog for our little hometown newspaper. It's mostly a political blog but I've been waiting for the right opportunity to do something with coal. So today I wrote one and thought I would share it with everyone here..

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/blogs.detail/display/1689/Exporting-Coal----The-Green-Hypocrisy.html

Nice article! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Nice informative write-up my friend--simplistic & to the point. Thank you saragnac

Not a bad article. However, the greenies aren't "for" anything. They are never going to be for coal "clean" or otherwise and the more it's publicized that our coal companies are exporting coal, the sooner it will be that some type of regulation (it's already been talked about - reducing coal exports for environmental reasons) is put into place that will further kill off the American coal miners - big and small. I agree we need to use it here, I also don't think we need to subsidize "clean" coal anymore than we need to subsidize solar or wind. In addition, the comment about anthracite being "clean" already; well, when burned in any type of small home stoker fired appliance or large industrial, controlled setting (not hand-fired) the emissions are basically the same. In addition, higher combustion efficiency can be obtained in bit fired boilers and bit coal has lower CO2 emissions, not that I care about CO2, but if you're going to claim that anthracite is "clean" coal as it is, well, I think that's a bit misleading. It is also a distraction, America needs to get it's head out of its "green" ass, to play our domestic resources against each other is counterproductive and promotes the negative.

Nonetheless, I applaud your (probably futile) attempt at saving the north country from itself. That area used to be full of good rural folks who hated the APA and it used to be a pretty conservative area; not so now. There are many good people left but the drugs, liberalism and environmentalism has taken over. When your DA's and Sheriffs are getting high, your community might have a problem.

Berlin wrote:.... the more it's publicized that our coal companies are exporting coal, the sooner it will be that some type of regulation (it's already been talked about as far as reducing coal exports by the greens) is put into place that will further kill the American coal miners - big and small.

Short term, especially in the anthracite industry I don't think we should do much. The anthracite industry can certainly use the infusion of new customers. Long term I would support cutting the m off at the knees with an excise tax on any raw resource leaving this country whether it's coal, natural gas,wood. etc. Keep those raw resources here and export products instead. I don't see the point of selling coal cheap to the Chinese just so they can turn around and dump cheap products on our shores.

There should be a penality of some sort for exporting jobs & income off shore, keep the investments & monet working right here instead of giving them breaks for leaving as a country we are doing things a bit back assward.
As for the Greenies thing I got this awhile back & thought it might fit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkUdFNeJQQ

samhill wrote:There should be a penality of some sort for exporting jobs & income off shore, keep the investments & monet working right here instead of giving them breaks for leaving as a country we are doing things a bit back assward.

Sam when I here comments like this I bring up one my favorite quotes on the topic:

Lead Times

In January a company came to me about having all of our stoves made in China. They would be shipped to LLS boxed and ready to sell. This at a much bigger profit than I could ever make working the way we do. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AS LONG AS I OWN LLS. I DON'T CARE HOW FAR BEHIND WE GET. THANKS. This is a great country and forum.
Jerry
Owner of Leisure Line Stoves.

Jerry (and now Dave and Matt) can do this because they have niche, their competition is inside the US however if a Chinese manufacturer comes on the scene and is shipping stoves here in boxes they are going to have an issue. You suggest penalizing US companies for outsourcing to other countries. As long as Chinese owned manufacturer are exporting products to this country at a much cheaper price than what they can be produced here the only thing you are going to do by penalizing US companies is put them out of business leaving just those owned by foreign interests.

The reason companies go abroad is not because they want to or are being greedy. it's about survival in the global market. When Joe six pack needs a new lawnmower doe he go to the local dealer that sells American made ones for $400 or to Wal Mart for the $100 one? The American consumer that demands cheap junk is just as much to blame as these companies if not more.

Agreed Richard but it's because the American market has been rewarded for leaving for decades, once most American made was gone most had no other choice. Don't forget for the most part we are buying the crap from China that is made for American Co.s according to their specs. & then being shipped here. Now that the Chinese are wising up & demanding better conditions & wages some of these same American Co.s are now coming back & claiming that they are somehow doing it for Patriotic reasons, the writings on the wall & they come back because the gravy train is slowing to a crawl & the climate is right. I welcome them back for any reason but lets call it what it is. I applaud a Co. like LLS for sticking to their roots & I'm sure whatever Chinese deal that was offered was to be using LLS design & then cheapening them along the way. The flood gates should have never been opened to begin with.