It seems that Mr Corbyn is all for re-opening old coal pits
“When asked by the BBC whether harnessing more coal would mean reopening North pits, he said: “Where you can re-open pits, yes, and where you can do clean burn coal technology, yes.
“I think we can develop coal technology. Let’s do so because energy prices around the world are going up. Open cast mining is not acceptable, deep mined coal is possible and is an alternative.”
However whilst being in favour of re-opening “old” coal mines he’s totally opposed to introducing fracking becuase it’s “a very backward looking idea” and very polluting and short-term.
So if I understand this right manual fracking is good but mechanical fracking is bad. It’s OK to fracture rock seams as long as actual people go under ground to risk their lives to do so and then extract tons and tons of rock, but pumping water underground to fracture rocks and extract gas at no risk of life and limb is bad. Coal is forward-looking despite having the highest death rate per terra watt hour. He’s worried about the environmental impact of fracking but the pollution caused by coal power is just fine and dandy. Just as well that coal mining doesn’t cause water pollution…oops.
As we’re told that Mr Corbyn is a man of principle and consistency I’m sure that his support for a reviving a highly polluting and dangerous (Just ask the people of Aberfen) industry in favour of a comparatively safe and clean modern industry has nothing at all to do with the support it will garner in Labour’s traditional industrial heartlands.