"The environmentalists throw out a lot of negative stuff, like kids who are suffering from asthma because they breathe particulate matter from living near a coal-fired power plant, or deaths caused on the roads by big coal trucks," Kentucky Coal Association president Bill Caylor said. "We're trying to counteract that."
Gov. Steve Beshear and a legislative committee have approved adding $17,500 to this year's $100,000 contract for the Kentucky Foundation so it can conduct a study showing the economic benefits of coal mining to the state.
Environmentalists ask why tax money meant for "public education of coal-related issues" is used exclusively in ways that please the coal industry.
"It's appropriate to educate citizens on their sources of energy," said Tom FitzGerald, director of the Kentucky Resources Council. "But I don't think we should be spending the public's money on industry promotional campaigns that are thinly disguised as educational programs."
Coal industry getting state tax money for mining promotions
