Chester County Man Helping Dig Up Coal’s Future

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New technology is helping dig into the future of coal, led by Chester County resident and Blaschak Coal Corp. president Greg Driscoll. Image via David Swanson, Philadelphia Inquirer.

There’s new support for Pennsylvania coal in the White House, and a Chester County resident is helping dig up prospects for coal’s future.

Blaschak Coal Corp. president Greg Driscoll drives to coal country every day in hopes of digging up new uses for anthracite coal, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report by Jason Nark.

But technology has already dug the heart out of the coal industry; all that’s left of the 330,000 jobs and 277 million tons of anthracite coal from a century ago is 1,000 jobs and two million tons a year, most of which supplies homes and pizza ovens heated by coal.

“If you’re in the coal business, the best you can expect is that we can stem the tide of decline,” Driscoll said.

For the workers that remain, though, jobs are good-paying, and “a lot of the jobs are very skilled. A lot of these machines are very elegant and sophisticated,” he said.

Read more about the modern coal scene in eastern Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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