Coal MiningBoth presidential candidates are big promoters of clean coal, and after taking a look at the political contributions that the coal industry has given, it’s easy to see why. This year alone, the coal mining industry has given $1,704,932 to Republicans and $768,498 to Democrats. The industry clearly favors McCain, who’s so far received $78,596 in campaign contributions, while Obama has received only $12,900. Despite the paltry figure, Obama knows that the coal issue sways voters (particularly in West Virginia and Kentucky), which is probably why he’s such a cheerleader for clean coal technology lately (though his running mate Joe Biden is a bit tougher on the issue, strongly arguing that clean coal doesn’t have a place in the US.)
McCain has also put on the pom-poms for coal, even making a special visit to Consol, one of the country’s largest coal producers, to take a tour of its research facilities where engineers are trying to perfect a way to burn waste coal using high-pressure cylinders. “Coal is America's greatest natural resource, as far as energy is concerned,” McCain gushed after touring the facility.
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