The coal industry is often ignored by the liberal media and simultaneously attacked by left-wing environmentalists. That’s precisely what happened over a recent mine, but the New York Post told a far different story from both of them.
The Acosta Deep Mine in Acosta, Pennsylvania opened in June. The mine will employ between 70 and 100 miners, owner George Dethlefsen told the New York Post on June 17. Though the opening was planned prior to President Donald Trump’s election, it still boosted the administration’s goals of reviving the coal industry.
The broadcast networks were repeatedly critical of Trump’s promise to bring coal jobs back to the U.S. — both during the campaign and his first few months in office. When the Acosta mine opened however, ABC and NBC refused to cover it. Since those networks didn’t cover the story, they also failed to illustrate how those jobs ripple through to the larger community
“For every new job generated by the mine, even more jobs like waitresses, hotel workers, barbers or grocery workers are needed to support the community,” NY Post contributor Salena Zito wrote.
Dethlefsen also told the Post his company plans to “open a total of three new mines the next 18 months -- and that will mean additional hiring.”
Left-wing environmentalists, did not support that job creation.
Local environmental group the Mountain Watershed Association campaigned against the mine saying it would spread coal dust and possibly contaminate water wells. A group of protesters demonstrated during the mine’s opening ceremony.
Liberal activists on Twitter also mocked the mine for being as outdated as VCR players and phone booths. But according to some Acosta residents, the environmental opposition was “wildly misinformed.”
“The coal from this mine is not going to be used for energy — instead, it will be used for the production of steel for the next 15 years,” Zito reported. Steel is used for everything from wind turbines to cell phones.
