Although coal was the main source for generating electricity in the United States for a long period of time, we now have cleaner, more efficient ways of heating up our stoves, lighting our homes, and warming our rooms. However, coal is still widely used in the United States - not only for electricity purposes, but also in the production of steel. Therefore, coal is still a vital part of our society, since steel keeps our bridges strong, links our railroad tracks, holds our buildings intact, allows us safe air travel, and makes our roads more durable.
What we usually do not think of, however, is where this coal comes from - the poor, poverty-stricken region known as Appalachia, which reaches into parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Workers in this area's coal mines have one of the most dangerous jobs possible - jobs that could kill them in seconds or damage their health in the long run. Additionally, they are not paid very well, and the destruction of mountains does not only ruin the forestry, it also leads to pollution in the forms of contaminated water and air, thus affecting anyone who lives nearby. Coal mine operators have been found guilty of harvesting the majority of profits for themselves, becoming extremely rich, while the workers themselves earn excessively low wages. This has all led to Appalachia being one of the poorest regions in the United States; in fact, people's living standards are comparable to those in a third world country since people suffer from more health problems, do not have access to decent education, and work long hours for meager pay.
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