Project Summary: QUESTION: Coal and Beyond PROMPT: In this week's discussion post, I want you to consider one of the most economically-important rocks: coal. Great amounts of coal have been extracted from the ground, both through surface mining and deep mining. We now have to live with the environmental legacy of that coal mining, including acid mine drainage, altered groundwater flow patterns, and huge piles of coal waste yet to be cleaned up, just to name a few. Coal combustion is also the most significant contributor of CO2 to the atmosphere. Yet most of the electrical power in the US comes from coal combustion. However, any energy resource has problems. Wind power kills bats and birds. Hydroelectric power generation kills fish. There is always a trade-off. Given our alternatives, do you feel that the unencumbered use of coal is worth the costs? How can energy conservation (simply using less energy) help? If you had to select one energy alternative, which would it be and why