How wonderful it would be if we had a limitless, free source of energy that would supply our nation’s power needs and do no harm to the environment.
We don’t.
We have a range of energy sources: coal, oil, hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, wind and so forth. Some are cheaper than others but may emit more pollution. Others are cleaner but are terribly expensive. All have positives and negatives.
So what do we do? We strike the best balance we can. For instance, we rely on cheap, plentiful coal and try to find ways to reduce its emissions. And we hope, meanwhile, for technological breakthroughs that may someday make solar or wind power economical. Unfortunately, barring such breakthroughs, we also massively subsidize inefficient solar and wind projects with tax dollars.
But the Obama administration has now embarked on a plan that would devastate the coal-mining industry and destroy jobs.