Earlier this week, we showed you how AEP is producing low-cost, coal-based electricity using cutting-edge technology in New Haven, West Virginia. During the Factuality Tour stop, I also had a great chance to stop by Charleston for a forum on the importance of coal with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), held at the University of Charleston.

Before the forum, we spoke with the president of the University of Charleston, Dr. Edwin Welch, to discuss the importance of coal to West Virginia. At the beginning of this video, Welch explains why coal is and will remain the economic lifeblood of the state, especially for the student population he oversees:

The United States has about 25 percent of the world’s known coal reserves, and Secretary Chu made the point that we are “the Saudi Arabia of coal” and the world “would never turn its back” on one of our most abundant energy sources. Sen. Rockefeller pointed out that AEP’s Mountaineer Plant is creating jobs and reliable energy by using technology that uses coal in the cleanest way possible.

Follow our Factuality tour here, and check this out for more information about how coal promotes energy independence and increased energy security.