[gspsonny03]

Jabba

I don't know how much you know about coal companies, but I have worked for one for 28 years now and we have been sold four times in the last 15 years. The reason for that is because it is really difficult to keep a business in the black when your expenditures are more than your profit. I know of no other energy source that costs so little to buy. If you wanted to heat your house with coal, you could buy a ton of it for anywhere between $5 and $8.00 a ton. Now I'm no mathamatician, but by the time you add up the cost of personnel, benefits such as health care and retirement, taxes which coal companies pay a hugh part to in this state and all the other misc. costs involved with operating a huge business, and then you throw in the cost of fuel, you might be lucky to make 15 cents profit on every ton. Then you sit back and pray that you don't bury a 27 million dollar shovel with a collapsing high wall or catch a 10 million dollar rubber tire dozer on fire and burn it to the ground. No I really don't think the coal companies are helping the oil companies keep out alternative energy. I think they have enough on their plates already just trying to stay a float and to make a buck. JMO