Mike Sauers

My maternal grandfather, Andrew Hissick, was a licensed anthracite coal miner. His sons; John, Hubert and Daniel were his laborers. My fraternal grandfather, Michael Sauers, was a pump operator at the mines. I grew up surrounded by deep mines, culm banks, scarred land, strip mining and in close proximity to the Audenreid breaker. I have breathed my fair share of coal dust. I have witnessed miners struggling to breathe. I have watched local economies whither and die. I have driven by the mansions of the Markles, Pardees, Coxes, Packers, etc. I have ingrained this and more into my heart and mind. It is a personal reference.

I recently toured the Ashland Mine Tunnel and Lansford Mine Tunnel for a review of the horrific working conditions endured by anthracite coal miners. I also toured the Eckley Miner’s Village and the site of the Lattimer Massacre to refresh my memories about the feudal living conditions suffered by miners and their families. All of this was inspired by a reading of Arthur M. Lewis’s, Lament for the Molly Maguires. Regardless of a person’s inclinations about the Mollies, it is a fact that these men and their children labored in hell holes hundreds and thousands of feet below sunlight. The investors and speculators lived comfortably in London, Philadelphia and New York. Their front men lived comfortably in Jim Thorpe, Hazleton, Pottsville, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. They certainly lived separate from the miners. They were true capitalists. Labor was cheap and expendable. Regulations were railed against and as a result they were minimal. Maximizing profits was their entire thrust. They pushed and marketed coal while squashing labor and environmental regulations. Local, national and international “Captains of Industry” and “cheerleaders” for coal like to say it fueled industrial growth and made America great. Maybe so, but they always neglect to talk about the devastating effects of coal on people and the environment. There was death in the mines from gases, cave-ins and accidental falls. There was death from black lung disease. There were child labor practices like breaker boys and mule boys. There were chronically low wages that negated any upward mobility. Environmentally, they devastated hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and wildlife habitat. They pollute, to this day, hundreds of streams with acid mine drainage. Anthracite coal financiers and mine owners were a nasty and greedy bunch. Benefits and outrageous consequences go hand in hand. Coal is a polluting fossil fuel. Enough said for now.

Back in 1977, when PPL commissioned their nuclear power plant in Salem Township near Berwick, I stood in opposition. It was a proud moment in my life and I am still opposed to nuclear power. Along the way we have had Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukashima. All three “accidents” emitted radiation, in varying amounts, into the surrounding environment. All nuclear power plants add to background radiation. We are told not to worry. Nuclear power plants cannot be built without enormous subsidies from government (taxpayers). They produce nuclear waste that is dangerously radioactive and must be sequestered for hundreds or thousands of years depending on the waste. We are told not to worry. Nobody wants the waste so it is stored onsite in water and cement casks. Naturally, this waste must be protected from terrorists. We are told not to worry. Nuclear power is enormously expensive and it produces dangerous waste. It is a mind numbing way to produce power. Enough said for now.

Generally speaking, fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) are polluting and problematic. Oil spills have polluted both fresh water and oceans alike. They are dirty to burn and add significantly to CO2 and other climate changing emissions. Natural gas from hydraulic fracturing is the fossil fuel industry’s keystone cop equivalent. In order to pull it off they sought and received exemptions from local, state and federal environmental regulations dealing with natural gas extraction. Only our elected representatives can explain that to us. Natural gas emits methane gas, a huge contributor to global warming, at the wells and throughout its processing. Hydraulic fracturing requires the use of four to ten million gallons of fresh, clean water per well. That water is polluted with a host of industry added chemicals some of which are secret. It is also polluted with naturally occurring contaminants found in the fractured ground. Some of it is radioactive. Supposedly, it is cleaned to a tolerable level (?) and returned to surface waters. That’s right! It is returned to surface waters! Only our elected representatives can explain that to us. If it is not recycled into surface waters it is pumped underground. If it weren’t so dangerously stupid, it would truly be comical. After the gas is extracted and cleaned it must be transported, mostly via pipelines. Here, the natural gas industry and its pom-pom wavers in government use eminent domain to run pipelines through private property, historical sites, state parks and state forests. They disturb and cross streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Naturally, they disturb/alter habitat and their associated wildlife populations. Eminent domain is a very touchy power that the federal government holds over us. It is like the sword of Damocles. Eminent domain is not in the U.S. Constitution. It is a legal practice foisted on us by a greater power, the federal government. It is supposed to be used by government to advance security and defense. Are these our best minds at work? We can only hope NOT!

For decades the sweet deals (corporate welfare) afforded to fossil fuels and nuclear energy were denied to renewables like wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biologic and biomass. Gee, I wonder how that happened? Conservation strategies were pooh-poohed. While none of these renewable energy sources are without problems, they are substantially more benign than fossil fuels and nuclear. They should be maximized asap. Entities that are married to fossil fuels will not give up easily. Senator Joe Manchin is a perfect example. Knowing full well how much coal pollutes, he nevertheless yammers on and on about the development of pollution sequestration technologies. It is technologic and financial pie in the sky. It is all a matter of priorities. Research this. Make it an issue!