I wrote:
If the families of the victims were compensated for their loss at
the normal rates, coal would cost far more than wind or any other
source of energy.
Oops. I take that back. I miscalculated. The average wrongful death
compensation is around $800,000. Multiply by 20,000 and that is a
modest $16 billion, which the power companies could easily afford.
They prefer to pay nothing -- which is the present arrangement.
The cost of ill-health might add a hundred billion to that number.
Fortunately, the number of coal miners killed and incapacitated per
year has fallen to record lows. It is now 50 - 100 killed per year,
and 13,000 injured. See:
http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM
Wind energy kills very few people; mainly a handful of workers who
fall from towers or are electrocuted.
In any case, my point is that the cost of coal-fired electricity is
borne by the public. We pay not with money, but with our lives and
health. This cost is not factored into the balance when people
compare the cost of wind versus coal energy.
- Jed
