Methane is the true "Natural Gas"

The net effect of restrictions on mountaintop removal on the Central Appalachian economy is uncertain, but a growing body of evidence suggests that the region’s dependence on coal for jobs has not proved a boon. Economic diversification in Central Appalachia would promote a healthier, more stable economy. Research continues to shed more light on the economic and health costs of coal mining.

Synapse Energy Economics Inc. released a report which highlights the benefits for Appalachia that would result from ending mountaintop removal mining and transitioning to clean energy jobs. We can have affordable electricity without mountaintop removal, and we can protect our communities, streams, forests and mountains at the same time.

The message from this report for political, business and community leaders in the coalfields couldn’t be more clear: Coal demand is going to continue to decline as the world moves to deal with global warming, and folks in the coalfields need to get more serious about a post-coal economy.

Steering folks away from coal in favor of natural gas and renewable energy sources, fits quite well with the Pickens Plan. Natural gas is primarily methane, and methane is readily available and obtainable from renewable sources other than gas wells drilled into conventional underground reservoirs, it can be considered renewable.

Methane can be derived from organic matter undergoing decomposition. For example in many parts of India, methane is generated through decomposition of both human and livestock feces, gathered and used as cooking gas. This technology has been in use there for centuries. Methane can be recovered from organic matter decomposing in land fills and through processing of animal waste. In addition, we can use waste-to-energy methods to create energy from municipal waste, waste water, compost, manure, landfill gas, and many other sources. Methane, truly our best form of natural gas.

Read Ken Ward Jr's blog "Coal Tattoo" here:http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo